my professor makes feel like a dumba**

[child of 2]

I'm doing research for him and taking his class at the same time. He's so smart that almost every time he explains something I find perplexing, I eventually say something like "ahh, I see" when I had no freaking idea what he just said, and he looks at me like "you have no idea what I just said, do you?"

On a personal level, he's very easygoing. But I really want to impress him for the LOR. I don't think I'm that stupid. It's just that I'm just starting to learn about reaction kinetics, polymer weight distributions and whatnot, so I just have to study hard and get used to his pace. It's hard for me (or anyone for that matter) to grasp something that I just saw the first or second time.

So the reason I posted this is because I want to know if this is what a lot of other undergrad/grads feel about their professors. I used to think I'm a better fit doing a PhD. But now, I feel more like I just want a job.

[koolherc]

To be honest, for you to say "Ah, I see" when you actually don't is really unwise. When you don't understand something, you need to ask about it. If he references some term you don't know, ask what it means. If nothing else, it'll show that you're actually engaged/listening and that you're insistent and determined.

Alternately, you should try to come up with another phrase---perhaps something more conservative like, "Ah, I think I follow/understand/get what you mean, or "I think I'm following your gist" or something. Perhaps, best "I understand X but not Y."

To answer your last Q, most reasonable professors don't mind that their students don't know jack---I mean, that's what a student is. What they do mind is pretention (hypocritical, perhaps, lol) and unwillingness to make the effort to fully understand a material.

Edited January 27, 2012 by koolherc

[ktel]

You're not benefiting yourself or him by pretending you know what he's talking about when you don't. Just ask. He's there to help.

That being said, yes I often feel like I don't know what I'm doing or don't know anything when I'm doing my research. I think that's natural. And then sometimes I realize that I actually do know stuff and feel better.

[user999]

Most of my advisors are like that. In fact, that's the reason why I chose to work with them.

I agree with koolherc. You should be candid in everything you do; otherwise, you're jeoperdizing your credibility. You should ask about the things that you don't understand, but at least make an effort before you do so; make it sound like you did your homework. Even if the questions you're asking are trivial, doing that will show your work ethics. It will also show him how you approach problems. These things matter in the LOR; it's not just about getting an A+ in his course.

If you're professor is as smart as you say, then he can surely gauge your progress (btw, very few professors are not smart, period). And don't sweat over the pace of things, he knows you're a student and how research works. With that said, you wouldn't want to linger on one of your research assignments for an inordinate amount of time.

Edited January 27, 2012 by user999

[Sigaba]

To be honest, for you to say "Ah, I see" when you actually don't is really unwise. When you don't understand something, you need to ask about it. If he references some term you don't know, ask what it means. If nothing else, it'll show that you're actually engaged/listening and that you're insistent and determined.

Alternately, you should try to come up with another phrase---perhaps something more conservative like, "Ah, I think I follow/understand/get what you mean, or "I think I'm following your gist" or something. Perhaps, best "I understand X but not Y."

@koolherc Nice post.

@child of 2 Another tactic that you might use is to develop ways to "read back" to the professor a concept he just discussed with you. "If I understand you correctly, you're saying A, B, and C." "My understanding of your point is X, Y, and Z." "Just to make sure I'm on the same page as you, you're saying this, that, and the other." You can perform these types of tasks either in person or via written communication.

If you use this read back method, it is crucial to make sure you don't simply parrot what you just heard while doing the happy muppet head nod. That is, if you understand what the professor is saying, the read back should have your own personal take on the information under discussion. This personal take doesn't have to be anything path breaking. It could just be a well informed musing or a follow up question that generates additional conversation.

Conversely, if you don't know, or you don't understand, then say so. Make it clear (politely) that you need your professor's support to improve your level of knowledge as you make it clear that you're willing to do the hard work of learning.

Please keep in mind that two of the most powerful things you can say as a student are both three word sentences: "I don't know" and "I need help."

HTH.