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[Jdw40223]

Has anyone ever bought a gift for a profesor that has done waaay more than expected? or is that not a sensible thing to do? if you have, what the hell is appropriate for such an occassion?

I have a profesor that has went above directors and rules to keep me on schedule to graduate.. simple 'thank you' emailL?

 

[olimario]

But really, maybe a handwritten letter would be best.

 

[Instigator]

Sleep with him?

 

[Sweet Prince]

probably just a card.

 

[Jdw40223]

But really, maybe a handwritten letter would be best.

Somehow I dont think the Ph.D. type would find that useful? ... more along the lines of dorky gifts like cool calculators and pocket protectors. gettin a hooker seems to easy(pun intended ok>)

 

[BuG]

If anything, I wouldn't spend too much on the gift. As harsh as it may sound, you're just another student and the professor probably would've done the same with any other student. University policy might be to either not accept personal gifts altogether or to put said gifts in a public area so as not to imply to the student that there is any more to the relationship than there is (not necessarily sexual).

On the otherhand, if this professor did go above and beyond for you, and you think there's a chance, olimario's first suggestion sounds good. Otherwise, his second suggestion is probably better.

 

[aparisi2274]

Has anyone ever bought a gift for a profesor that has done waaay more than expected? or is that not a sensible thing to do? if you have, what the hell is appropriate for such an occassion?

I have a profesor that has went above directors and rules to keep me on schedule to graduate.. simple 'thank you' emailL?

Find out if he likes Scotch or Whiskey or something nice, and get him a bottle of Johnny Walker or a nice bottle of Grey Goose Vodka

 

[Property of Jumpship]

I once bought an english professor a new translation of The Brothers Karamazov because I knew it was his favorite book. He was more like a friend anyway and when I graduated I thought a show of gratitude was in order.

 

[teruterubozu]

An A+ is the best gift you can give your prof.

 

[demon]

An A+ is the best gift you can give your prof.

I don't think you give out letter grades on teacher evaluations.

 

[aceface]

Out of everything mentioned here, I would like getting whiskey the best. Other than that, maybe a generic thank you card, nothing too mushy or anything.

 

[Firest0rm]

Has anyone ever bought a gift for a profesor that has done waaay more than expected? or is that not a sensible thing to do? if you have, what the hell is appropriate for such an occassion?

I have a profesor that has went above directors and rules to keep me on schedule to graduate.. simple 'thank you' emailL?

Well you can see if you can nominate him/her or vote for him/her for professor of the year or something like that if you have something like that running at your university. I nominated one of my professors and got as many people to vote for him as possible (they must taken a course with him in order to vote) and he actually won professor of the year and got $10,000.

 

[Amused_To_Death]

Monetary gifts mean very little to people at that level. Just make sure you let him know, in a letter or a card, that you really appreciate his help. I would also send an email to the University's president and department dean explaining how he went above and beyond to help a student, and blind CC him.

 

[slayn]

generally, high quality booze seems to be the most appreciated.

 

[stormer]

a thank you letter is sufficient imo, an email is not the same

 

[WrathOfOtaibah]

For all the great professors, I just shook his or her hand and told them thanks.

 

[RevenantKioku]

My Japanese professor was so fucking great, our Advanced 3 class (highest class you can take at my school, there were 8 of us) took the story she had been writing for our exam reading sections and turned it into a play we performed (in Japanese of course) for her.

So really, it depends on the extent to which the professor is great I say. The more hours the professor spends outside of class and office hours helping you, (and actually shows dedication) increases this I think.
But ultimately, it's up to you. If you think you should, it's probably a good instinct in this case.

 

[teruterubozu]

I don't think you give out letter grades on teacher evaluations.

YOU getting an A+ is the best gift you can give a teacher.

Education children, it's for YOU!

 

[wobedraggled]

A sharp wizard, hey it worked for Seinfeld.

 

[Bluecondor]

Monetary gifts mean very little to people at that level. Just make sure you let him know, in a letter or a card, that you really appreciate his help. I would also send an email to the University's president and department dean explaining how he went above and beyond to help a student, and blind CC him.

I am a professor, and - let me tell you, a formal letter to my Dean is a huge thing for me, especially in my case, because I go up for contract renewal every three years (i.e. I am not on the tenure stream).

And - even if your professor is on the tenure stream and/or even if he or she has tenure, a letter like this will still be helpful - especially if he or she is going up for promotion soon (assistant professor to associate professor, associate professor to full professor), as all professors have to demonstrate their teaching and service contributions to their school.

So - write the letter (addressed to the Dean/Department Chair) and be very professional. If you sound too gushing or if you go into extreme detail, the letter will lose its effect. Just be sure to spell out what your professor did and why it was above and beyond the call of duty. Use your full name and permanent address (so that you could be contacted as a reference in the future), print it out on nice paper, sign it, and send a copy to the Dean and/or Department Chair. Then, put a copy in an envelope, with a card with a short handwritten note, and give it to your prof. I guarantee you that he will be flattered/honored that you made such an effort to recognize him.

 

[Jdw40223]

I am a professor, and - let me tell you, a formal letter to my Dean is a huge thing for me, especially in my case, because I go up for contract renewal every three years (i.e. I am not on the tenure stream).

And - even if your professor is on the tenure stream and/or even if he or she has tenure, a letter like this will still be helpful - especially if he or she is going up for promotion soon (assistant professor to associate professor, associate professor to full professor), as all professors have to demonstrate their teaching and service contributions to their school.

So - write the letter (addressed to the Dean/Department Chair) and be very professional. If you sound too gushing or if you go into extreme detail, the letter will lose its effect. Just be sure to spell out what your professor did and why it was above and beyond the call of duty. Use your full name and permanent address (so that you could be contacted as a reference in the future), print it out on nice paper, sign it, and send a copy to the Dean and/or Department Chair. Then, put a copy in an envelope, with a card with a short handwritten note, and give it to your prof. I guarantee you that he will be flattered/honored that you made such an effort to recognize him.

Wow. I will defintely recognize him to the Dean/Dept Chair . Thanks for the info.

 

[acidviper]

Always good to check if they like the alcohol, but alcohol is always the perfect gift.

Ask any other faculty member what their poison is.

If you have a very good working relationship or you know they will write you a letter of recommendation its not a bad idea to splurge and hit them with a bottle of Cristal. Totally classy and it doesn't scream "You are a fucking drunk". Plus you know they will write you a rec anytime.

 

[Brannon]

Give your professor an apple.

It's teh old skool.

 

[Scoobert]

Give your professor an apple.

It's teh old skool.

But a nice

goes a long way.

 

[Bluecondor]

Always good to check if they like the alcohol, but alcohol is always the perfect gift.

Ask any other faculty member what their poison is.

If you have a very good working relationship or you know they will write you a letter of recommendation its not a bad idea to splurge and hit them with a bottle of Cristal. Totally classy and it doesn't scream "You are a fucking drunk". Plus you know they will write you a rec anytime.

Wow - you give profs who write letters for you bottles of Cristal. Dude - you can take my class anytime - I'll write for you. :lol

The thing is - writing a letter really isn't that big of a deal. I write 4 or 5 of them a week (or more) during the school year. The only time it sucks is when someone waits until the day before an application is due, then they hound you with 10 e-mails and 5 phone messages, practically ordering you to drop everything and write their letter. Luckily, this is very much the exception, as most people are cool about it, and we just set up a time to meet, which allows me to get it done.