Is it Acceptable to Ask Your Professor to Be Your Mentor and Challenge You with Additional Assignments?

It is generally acceptable to ask your professor to be your mentor and to challenge you with additional assignments, especially if you are motivated to deepen your understanding of the subject. Here are some tips on how to approach this:

Be Respectful

Acknowledge your professor's time and commitments. Frame your request politely to show that you respect their workload and availability.

Explain Your Goals

Clearly articulate why you want a mentor and what you hope to achieve through additional assignments. This demonstrates your seriousness and motivation.

Be Specific

If there are particular areas you want to explore or specific topics you are interested in, mention those. This helps your professor understand how they can assist you.

Be Open to Feedback

Be prepared for your professor to suggest alternatives or to discuss the feasibility of your request. Be open to feedback and willing to consider different options.

Follow Up

If your professor agrees, stay engaged and demonstrate your commitment to the additional work. Keeping the lines of communication open will help maintain a productive mentorship.

Considering the Response

Absolutely! Any professor worth their salt would encourage their students to go beyond the curriculum. However, you are essentially asking for a favor, so be prepared for the professor to say no.

There could be various reasons for a professor to decline:

Simply cannot be bothered with you. This is not the sort of professor you want as your mentor anyway.

Is just too busy with other things, which is entirely understandable.

Does not want to be seen as giving you preferential treatment over other students.

In the case of points 2 and 3, the fact that you have asked should spur the professor into taking alternative action to cater for the students who want to be challenged!

If Your Professor Says No

Absolutely! Don't be offended if they say no that they are too buried with projects or that they already have all of the student interns that they can handle. But there is certainly nothing wrong with asking!

Acknowledging Acceptability

Acceptable! Darling, it's commendable!

Unless your professor is a grumpy old tart who doesn't want to do extra work. Ideally, though, your professor would be so excited that a student has a keen interest in what they are doing that they will do anything in their power to help you further that interest. This is a great move for you because that professor will become a crucial link to your future. Keep nurturing the relationship!