BertaCollins
New member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2026
- Messages
- 5
I didn't know what office hours were until my second year of college. 
Not because I'm dumb. Because no one told me.
The Backstory:
My dad installs drywall. My mom manages a dollar store. They're brilliant people—my dad can build a house from scratch and my mom can stretch a paycheck until it begs for mercy—but they don't know how college works.
When I said "I have a question about the assignment," they said "ask the teacher."
They didn't know there was a special time for asking. They didn't know professors just... sit in their offices waiting for students to show up. They didn't know that's normal.
So I didn't know either.
The Moment I Found Out:
Sophomore year, sitting in the cafeteria, overhearing a conversation:
Wait. You can just... go to their offices? And they help you? For free? That's a thing??
I felt so stupid. And also so angry. Who was supposed to tell me this??
The Things I've Learned (that everyone else seemed to know):
✦ Office hours aren't just for emergencies. They're for anything. Questions about the reading? Go. Want to chat about the field? Go. Need career advice? Go.
✦ You don't need an appointment. You just... show up. Wild.
✦ Professors actually LIKE when students come. (They're just sitting there anyway.)
✦ You can ask about anything. One time I asked my poli sci professor about a TV show that mentioned his field. We talked for 45 minutes.
✦ Office hours = free tutoring + networking + mentorship + sometimes snacks.
The Guilt:
I'm the first person in my family who can just... walk into a professor's office and ask for help. My parents never had that. They figured everything out alone.
Sometimes I feel guilty about the resources I have that they didn't. But then I remember: this is why they worked so hard. So I could have opportunities they didn't.
So now I use office hours for both of us. I ask the questions my mom would ask if she were here. I get the help my dad would want me to get.
The Message to Other First-Gens:
If you didn't know about office hours until just now: hi, same. Go this week. Just once. Say "I wanted to introduce myself" if you're nervous. It counts.
We're not behind. We just started from a different place. And that's okay.
Your Turn:
What's something you learned embarrassingly late that everyone else seemed to know? Make me feel better about my sophomore-year revelation.
Not because I'm dumb. Because no one told me.
The Backstory:
My dad installs drywall. My mom manages a dollar store. They're brilliant people—my dad can build a house from scratch and my mom can stretch a paycheck until it begs for mercy—but they don't know how college works.
When I said "I have a question about the assignment," they said "ask the teacher."
They didn't know there was a special time for asking. They didn't know professors just... sit in their offices waiting for students to show up. They didn't know that's normal.
So I didn't know either.
The Moment I Found Out:
Sophomore year, sitting in the cafeteria, overhearing a conversation:
I literally stopped chewing my sandwich.
Wait. You can just... go to their offices? And they help you? For free? That's a thing??
I felt so stupid. And also so angry. Who was supposed to tell me this??
The Things I've Learned (that everyone else seemed to know):
✦ Office hours aren't just for emergencies. They're for anything. Questions about the reading? Go. Want to chat about the field? Go. Need career advice? Go.
✦ You don't need an appointment. You just... show up. Wild.
✦ Professors actually LIKE when students come. (They're just sitting there anyway.)
✦ You can ask about anything. One time I asked my poli sci professor about a TV show that mentioned his field. We talked for 45 minutes.
✦ Office hours = free tutoring + networking + mentorship + sometimes snacks.
The Guilt:
I'm the first person in my family who can just... walk into a professor's office and ask for help. My parents never had that. They figured everything out alone.
Sometimes I feel guilty about the resources I have that they didn't. But then I remember: this is why they worked so hard. So I could have opportunities they didn't.
So now I use office hours for both of us. I ask the questions my mom would ask if she were here. I get the help my dad would want me to get.
The Message to Other First-Gens:
If you didn't know about office hours until just now: hi, same. Go this week. Just once. Say "I wanted to introduce myself" if you're nervous. It counts.
We're not behind. We just started from a different place. And that's okay.
Your Turn:
What's something you learned embarrassingly late that everyone else seemed to know? Make me feel better about my sophomore-year revelation.