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This begins the extra-credit project my friends and I advocated for and got approval of from my intermediate microeconomics professor. 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

     

When I came to Smith as a first-year I remember being told to never be afraid to talk to professors and ask questions. This is something I'll take with me for the rest of my life and I think I'll continue to work on it as I grow and learn . . .

 

I was jittery and my nerves began to get the best of me as I thought about approaching my professor during office hours to find out the most efficient way to boost my mid-term grade. After talking to friends in the intermediate microeconomics class, we decided to tackle the task together and already my nerves began to subside. It wasn’t until the moment we walked into her bright office with bookcases overflowing with economics books, pictures of her family and the couch with the pillow that said “everybody poops” that I realized she was also a human being and was as approachable as anyone in my family.

 

As my friends and I proposed the extra credit project, I knew the worst she could say was “no.” We mentioned our disappointment in our grades and how we had thought about an alternative way to improve them while learning more about economics and its relation to health care.

 

Our professor loved the idea and was generous in the span of topics she offered and even allowed us to pick the groups of people we wanted to work in. This whole asking process was arduous but I now have a greater appreciation for self-advocating and not being ashamed for asking any questions.

 

I love the many renditions there are from Albert Einstein and other historians regarding stupidity which specify that stupid questions are the ones that are not asked. This speaks volumes to my experience in asking about extra-credit. Had my friends and I not banded together to inquire, we may have never had the opportunity to receive extra-credit. In going outside of my comfort zone I saw just how similar my professor and I are and how eager she was to alleviate our stresses about that mid-term. This galvanizing experience has led me to go to more office hours and ask more questions. Being afraid is a thing of my past.

 

In the beginning I started off going to my professor's office hours with two other friends to ask for help. Eventually I was comfortable enough in going by myself. I have to realize that I won't always have the ability to bring someone else into an office with me (I'm thinking about future jobs and asking for a raise, for example) but I already feel more comfortable in approaching other professors. During fall semester I went to many office hours--by myself! It's not what happens in the beginning, it's where you end up that matters. 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.