Developing relationships with university lecturers / tutors is straight forward as they behave in a professional, ethical and to a point, predictable manner.

It is important to remember that university lecturers invest a lot of time producing material for a degree course, and are therefore likely to steer it in a direction that is of some interest to them personally.

University Lecturers will respond positively to degree students who take a genuine interest in the module, and show some appreciation for the effort that has been put into it:

• Always turn up on time to university lectures
• Attend every university lecture
• Research the degree subject properly using the recommended texts and other resources

Doing these three things will show your university lecturer you are a serious degree student, it will also put you in a position to ask more advanced questions, again demonstrating your commitment and allowing you to glean additional knowledge from the lecturer.

Lecturers are busy people, if you are perceived as a serious student they are more likely to make time for you when you need it.

In my degree experience students with a poor attendance record approaching university lecturers in a panic close to deadlines are not viewed favorably. This coupled with time constraints means badly organized degree students do not get the same level of support as those who work ahead.

When asking university lecturers for advice on a topic, tell them that you are aiming for a first class degree. This will again demonstrate your commitment, and will lead them to give you the higher level information you are looking for. The advice I got from university lecturers after asking “what do I need to do to get a first class degree” was very different to that given to students asking what I need to do to pass my degree.

If you engage with university lecturers properly you can take your learning well beyond the scope of your degree, you have an opportunity to acquire knowledge you may never have otherwise learned, and have some enjoyable debates in the process.