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    23 Secrets Your Professors Will Never Tell You

    There could be a 13-year-old grading your paper.

    We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what it's like being a professor. Here are some of the best submissions.

    1. Yes, they bitch about their students to one another (sometimes around a bottle of wine).

    2. They really do hate exams — and assigning essays is more painful for them than you.

    3. Extra effort can bump you up a grade or two.

    4. They have no sympathy for your questionable spending habits.

    5. Yes, they read the mean comments and harsh criticism on the evaluations and take them to heart.

    6. Most professors love helping and talking to their students.

    7. They feel a sense of pride when their students have their "aha" moment.

    8. Some professors might only read the essays on final exams for students in between letter grades.

    9. Office hours is the perfect time to bombard them with any and all questions.

    10. Comments are crucial to the learning process and just as important as grades.

    11. As it turns out, they are humans, too!

    12. Making an effort to get to know your professors could help you out in the long run.

    13. They only remember the names of the good students and the bad students. Everyone in between is a blur.

    14. They pretend they don't see you on your phone during class because it hurts their feelings.

    15. It's ok if you're experiencing personal challenges – just keep them in the loop.

    16. Bloom's Taxonomy is a gold mine for extra credit.

    17. No, shy students don't get the shorter end of the stick. They just have to seek out other opportunities to make their voices heard.

    18. Poorly worded emails can throw them off track.

    19. It makes their jobs easier when everyone does the reading.

    20. Campus resources are like ~free~ tutors – use them accordingly.

    21. Preparing lesson plans and lectures takes A LOT of work.

    22. A 13-year-old could be grading the paper you pulled an all-nighter to complete.

    23. They understand some of their fellow professors are actually terrible.

    Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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