For first-generation students, there can be a fallacy about professors in college. The classic misconceptions about professors can be that they are scary, unapproachable, tough, there to make your life harder, and just not that understanding. From my personal experience, these things could not be farther from the truth. Maybe I have been so fortunate to not have come across a Dolores Umbridge because I go to a small university, or whoever is in charge of hiring our professors is really good at their job. Nonetheless, I have never had an experience with any of my professors that proved any of those misconceptions, that I also once had, to be true. Because of this, I have been able to cultivate relationships with my professors since my freshman year of college, and maintain them. Maintenance does not have to be constant communication, but at least checking in a little each semester, always making it a point to say hi when you see them on campus and ask them how they are doing, or even dropping by their office whether or not you are currently in their class.
The professors do appreciate the effort students put in to make themselves recognized, and I think it also is what fuels them since they are here for the students at the end of the day. Professors give their knowledge, time, and energy to us. So if we try to go beyond the classroom, and get to know them as a person, give them our interest, and turn to them for mentorship, then that is gratification for them that reminds them why they are professors. In turn, we as students get a very dependable source of guidance in and out of the classroom. This is very important for first-generation students since our parents are typically always our guide, and in this case they are limited to how much they can help us. Another reason I think it is important to connect with professors is for experiential learning opportunities like research or being their TAs. Both of these can help put your education to real use before you graduate, which develops you a little more and prepares you for whatever line of work you go into. Following that, scholarships, graduate programs, and jobs will almost always ask for a reference or letter of recommendation to prove why you are eligible. Professors are great providers of these types of things when you have a good relationship with them. They can write about your devotedness to your studies, and also reflect on you as a person. All of these things have made me trust that the professors are here to see students succeed. I have built relationships with multiple professors, used them as a resource to improve my experience in college, and I have been very surprised and pleased with the impacts they have had on my education and time these last four years.