(I was writing this as an addendum to my other post, however, I just spent an hour on the phone and then I was locked out of my house (with no phone, computer, eyeglasses, etc etc and finally, after a long session with a hammer, against wood and steel, I won and am back in my house). I saw you updated the thread. I wanted to make sure you -- and others -- read this.)
Don't get caught up in the inane first year ******** most schools spew. Focus on meeting faculty.
This is most important: Never ever feel intimidated to approach faculty[/b]. By definition, they are teachers, educators... people you learn from. I have only met two professors who had no interest in talking with me during my entire school experience (I've been around for awhile... I started college when I was 16, spent time at various schools and I'm finishing my PhD now).
I know professors can seem intimidated and they are very, very busy people, but (most)
do care about teaching. If they did not care about teaching, they would have chose a research position, not a professorship, which includes a teaching competent.
If your first email goes unanswered, do not be afraid to email again: Sometimes a professor is away for the weekend at a conference, at a retreat (of all sorts, not just religiously based), or even sabbatical. You may or may not get an auto-reply in these circumstances (or others I have not mentioned), a lot of professors are forgetful, especially when it comes to technology. Perhaps your first email ended in their SPAM inbox (it happens all the time!) and they never saw it. Or too much email piled up in their inbox(for whatever reason) and they filtered emails from new contacts to another folder that is meant to be dealt with at a later point (and rarely gets dealt with).
Do not be afraid to make yourself known. Hell, after all,
you are paying for your education (and for them to be there). If you can't make scheduled office hours (for whatever reason), email the professor and set up a time (make sure you are there 5 minutes early) and be prepared to wait.
A story: One professor I know tells students that when they come to scheduled office hours (2 hour session once a week) to "bring a book [...] I will stay as long as students want to see me, but be prepared to wait a long time". He regularly stays past 10pm (his weekly office hour is usually from 2-4).
N.B. This advice applies for faculty/researchers at other institutions as well, iff you have good reason to contact them (e.g. your research leads you to one of their papers and you have a question, concern or are interested in collaboration). This shouldn't be an issue in your first year (probably not until thesis time, but possibly earlier).
Finally, do not be afraid to contact professors you aren't taking courses with (or outside of your department). The aforementioned rules apply.
I know I went on and on and on but a lot of students are intimidated to approach professors and they lose out. My fiancée was one of them. There is no reason to be.
Also, if you ever have any personal problems and it is affecting your work in a specific class, go speak to your professor as soon as possible (skip the TF/TA/whatever). Most likely they will listen and try to help you in your situation, as best they can. Some will even lie to the Registrar's Office/administrators, if they feel like it.
Here's a fairly common example: If grades are due to the Registrar's Office from professors on a certain date and you haven't turned in a portion of the work for a
valid reason, viz. death in the family, new mental or physical illness, a chronic illness that took an unexpected turn, etc, a professor and you may reach an agreement for you to agree on a timetable for a guaranteed grade assigned in advance. S/he can never change that grade, whatever s/he decided, and if the administration found out s/he assigned a permanent grade, affirming you earned that grade based on the requirements locked into place with the Registrar's Office, the professor would have a headache to deal with. And if you didn't follow the timeline and the rules established with the professor, I would recommend transferring.
You'll learn rather quickly that professors do not always enjoy the administrator's that run the school (you'll see the bureaucracy at work almost immediately).
But if the professor does not know you, it's harder for them to help you (in any way). So, get to know your professors (and other professors of interest) as soon as possible.
In sum, do not be nervous.
Hope this helps.
N.B. I read a lot about professors who are not available to students from various sources, everything from college newspaper op-eds (complaining), to "experts"(********ting), to the national media (tiring). and worst, posts on various websites regarding college from kids or parents (uninformed). Supposedly this is rampant at Harvard (and other places I have studied). Utter ********. Just set up a meeting. I've personally seen faculty talk to students for
hours about switching majors into the professor's field but the student has various questions (from personal, to academic to careers/plans afterwards, etc..) I once asked said professor why he would do this (I was pretty shocked, to be frank) and he said "If I can spend an hour or so talking with someone to help them learn physics or to help them figure out where they are going in life, why not? I have plenty of hours for that." Great attitude, I thought, and I try to follow the same principle.
