Objectives:

Tired of that one professor you can't avoid? You know the one -- he teaches the toughest course in your major or is the toughest professor in your major, and he is the only one that teaches it. What do you do? Should you pray and hope that the professor gets ill during the term you have to enroll for his course? Should you stick around for 10 years until he retires? Should you just pay the professor a bribe before the term begins? (Hmm, now that might work -- just kidding.) Don't worry, I have a solution for you, and it won't cost you any money; it's called "The Good Book."

This is another one of those strategies that colleges will never teach you in student orientation. It works phenomenally. 

I must tell you that this next strategy has gotten me in a lot of trouble with my friends. It's a strategy you definitely cannot share with your friends (no matter how close you are). If you and every other soul tried this strategy on the same professor (especially during the same term), it wouldn't work. But nobody has to know this trick except for you and me, right?

When one thinks of the phrase "The Good Book," they think of the Bible. Well, the Bible in this case is your syllabus. What does the syllabus have to do with your AProfessor Nightmare on Elm Street?" Everything! The syllabus is your success meal ticket out of this professor's class. How, you ask? 

Go back to my premise that your grades are not important, but your reputation is. This professor that you can't avoid has a reputation that precedes her. The class is almost impossible to pass; the workload is too heavy; the professor is difficult to understand; her expectations are too high; and the list goes on and on. It shouldn't surprise you that if you've heard a lot about this professor and how disliked she is, the professor has heard the same things too.

I hate to say this, but he or she probably doesn't care too much about you either. Professors have feelings too you know. If they feel someone doesn't like them, guess what, they will withdraw into their shell like a turtle. That's where the syllabus comes in -- it brings them out. Let me explain.

The Power of the Book

The course syllabus is your invitation to make an impression on the professor who nobody likes. What amazes me more than anything is how few students ever take the time to read the course syllabus. Professors literally slave over outlining the requirements of their course, making sure there are no misunderstandings, to only find out later that the first day of class will probably be the last time most students will ever look at the syllabus. This is wrong. Read, study, and know your syllabus. Ask your professors questions about it. It will literally shock them. Trust me on this. 

Let me tell you something that very few students know; nothing ticks off a professor more than when a student asks a specific question about the course that's already covered in the syllabus. Take it from me, it's like screaming "That's right, I'm lazy!" in the professor's ear. Remember, guard your reputation. This strategy requires you to request a copy of the professor's syllabus a semester before you take him or her. It doesn't matter if the syllabus will change, whether or not the professor is out of them, or whatever. All that matters is that you request one (the semester before). Why request one before you take the class, to make an impression on the professor. 

Do you remember all of those things you heard about that professor from other students? Well let me share with you what that same professor is probably thinking about you (not you personally, but students collectively): 

Exaggerated? maybe a tad, but it's not that far from the truth. The point here is that you are not seen in a positive light, and the professor hasn't even met you yet! Those are not good odds. My advice is to get the odds in your favor Abefore" you start running the race. The way you do that is to make a positive, memorable impression with something as small as requesting a course syllabus (the semester before).  So, how can you be sure this strategy will do it? Because no one, and I mean no one, will attempt this unless you tell them about it. I know, I did it, and it works; I have the bitter friends to prove it.

Meet Dr. Robo-B!*#%

Let me share a personal example of this strategy in action. At my university, in my department, we had a professor who had a reputation that even "Jack the Ripper" would have been proud. She stood about 5 feet 1 inch tall, 115 pounds, with short dark black hair, and she was pale as a ghost. She never wore even a smudge of make-up. She was as emotionless as someone missing the winning lotto number by one digit. She never smiled, she never engaged students in conversations in or outside of the classroom, and this was on a "good" day. 

The rumor was that most students had to take her class an average of 2.78 times to pass it. To make matters worst, she was the only professor teaching the three sections that were offered each semester.

This particular professor had earned the dubious name, Dr. Robo-B#%! I'll let you fill in the blanks (it rhymes with witch). Students shuddered at the very sound of her name. She was tough, she was relentless, and she was very serious about her job.

Knowing this, I knew eventually the time would come when I had to take her class. But being a student of the "Tricks of the Grade," I was not a bit concerned. As a matter of fact, I was even a little cocky about taking her. I told some of my friends (in the spring term) that I would take her class during the summer (Trick #7). 

To my friends' amazement, they couldn't understand why, and I wouldn't tell them either. I never shared my tricks with my classmates (it's your choice if you do). I also told them that I would pull an "A" out of her class. This, you could imagine, floored them.

Little did my friends know, I had a plan. Even my roommate, who was taking the same class for the second time, didn't know about my plan. I had one of my other previous professors request a copy of Dr. Robo's course syllabus for me the semester before the course. Why did I do that you ask? Like I said before, I wanted to make a positive impression on her.

I had already heard from other students how tough she was. She had an extensive reading list that she assigned at the beginning of the semester (extensive was an understatement -- there were at least 10 to 15 books of required reading). Remember, this was a six-week summer course! I also heard that all of her tests were composed of detailed essay questions. To make matters worse, I heard that she would call on students randomly every five minutes asking questions about the reading assignments from the list. No wonder everyone was scared of her. So I pulled out all the stops (tricks) on her, including this particular one. 

The other professor I mentioned earlier agreed to get a copy of Dr. Robo's syllabus for me. When I went to pick it up, I asked the professor, what did Dr. Robo think of my request? The professor replied, "She asked me, 'what kind of student would request a copy of a course syllabus a semester before the class?' Even though it wasn't scripted, my kind professor responded, "I don't know, but Joe Martin is a different kind of student." Bingo! -- exactly the type of response I was looking for. I thanked the professor for getting the information for me, and I left her office with a huge grin on my face. 

See, although I never met Dr. Robo personally, I knew now that I would never have a problem approaching her about anything. Why not? Because the ice had been broken. I knew she would never forget Joe Martin. Now, with syllabus in hand, all I had to do was wait for the semester to begin. 

The Day of Reckoning

On the first day of class, to my amazement, the room was filled to capacity. I guess the word had gotten out that I was bragging how I was going to ace Dr. Robo's class the first time around. Maybe they thought I knew something they didn't. They were right, I did.

The room was deafening with noise as students bragged about their two and three-term stints with Dr. Robo as if it were a prison sentence. Some were discussing strategies on what it would take to pass her course, and others (the clueless) couldn't even remember what she taught. By the way, she taught communication ethics and law.

As Dr. Robo entered the classroom, a scary silence fell over the room. No one said a word, including me. It's like you could hear her footsteps as she made her way to the podium. As she opened her lecture folder, which was as thick as a Webster Dictionary (the unabridged edition), we watched her like sheep ready for the slaughter.

She started calling class roll. Like a machine gun, she read aloud each student's name. Each student responded with an emotionless...here!...here!...here! Then something strange happened. Dr. Robo called my name, and after I responded like my peers...here!...she abruptly stopped. "Where is Joe Martin?" she asked. "I'm right here," I said. And in unison, every student in the classroom, including my roommate, all turned their heads and stared at me in amazement.

The professor asked, "Did Professor 'Such and Such' give you that information you requested?" I replied, AYes she did, thank you." The class was dumbfounded and speechless. My roommate leaned over to ask me about the information, AWhat information is she talking about?" I told him I'd tell him about it later (I never did). 

He then asked me if I knew her. Joe, she smiled at you man," he said. AI've never seen her smile at a student before, and this is my third time taking her." I ensured him that I didn't know her and that I had never met her before in my life. He didn't buy it.

After class, after all of the students had left, I went up to Dr. Robo and employed Trick #5: The Recipe. It worked brilliantly. I won't even go into the details of why most students usually failed her course, but she told me.

 Needless to say, we built a good student-teacher relationship. She gave me the information I needed to get an AA" in her course, I applied them, and I got an "A" in the course on my "first time" around. 

It was obvious, as my roommate kept reminding me, that she treated me differently than everyone else. To my peers, it just didn't make sense.

Dr. Robo in Hindsight

I think it should be repeated here again, your grades are not important, but your reputation is. Let me let you in on another secret. I never even looked at that syllabus after the other professor had gone through all the trouble of getting it for me; I planned to, but I didn't have time. That was the only mistake I made with this strategy (don't you do the same). 

In the summary, I've worked out the kinks to make this strategy even more effective for you. 

The point is this, Dr. Robo treated me differently because I WAS different. I stepped out of my comfort zone to do what most students weren't willing to do, which was think of her as a human being, not a machine. To her, I was indeed different.

I never told my friends what I did to get an AA" in her class until I graduated. And I must confess, some are still a little mad at me. But any one of them could have done exactly what I did in that class, and now you can too. All it takes is sizing up the competition and asking yourself, what would most students do, and then do the opposite. I guarantee you, more times than not, you will win, and win big!

Trick 8 Action Steps