ฅ՞•ﻌ•՞ฅ Hi girlies!

Oh my gosh, it’s May already. May always feels like such a mix of emotions. It can feel exciting, sad, nostalgic, stressful, and hopeful all at once. For some of you, this month means graduation, big transitions, and closing a chapter you worked so hard for. For others, even if you are not graduating this year, May still feels like a reminder that your time is coming too.

It is one of those months that makes you pause and realize how fast everything is moving. So whether you are finishing finals, preparing for graduation, applying to summer programs, or just trying to get through the last stretch of the semester, I hope you give yourself credit for making it this far.

✨ Advice column ✨

How to deal with difficult professors or teachers

One thing nobody really prepares you for in school is that not every professor or teacher is going to communicate the way you wish they would. Some are direct. Some are disorganized. Some grade harshly. Some barely explain what they want. Some make you feel nervous to ask questions. And honestly, that can be really frustrating, especially when you are trying your best and still feel like you are not being understood.

But part of learning how to succeed in school is also learning how to work with different types of people. That does not mean accepting disrespect or blaming yourself for everything. It means learning how to stay calm, advocate for yourself, and figure out what the person in front of you responds to.

The first thing is to not take everything personally right away. Sometimes a professor who seems “mean” is just very direct. Sometimes a teacher who seems like they do not care is actually overwhelmed, busy, or not naturally warm. That does not excuse bad behavior, but it helps you not spiral into thinking, “They hate me” or “I’m bad at this class.” Separate the person’s communication style from your own ability.

The second thing is to document and clarify. If a professor gives unclear feedback, do not just sit with confusion. Ask specific questions. Instead of saying, “I don’t understand why I got this grade,” try saying, “Could you help me understand what would have made this response stronger?” or “For the next assignment, should I focus more on analysis, structure, or evidence?” Specific questions usually get better answers than emotional ones, even when your feelings are valid.

Office hours can also help more than people think. I know office hours can feel intimidating, especially when you already feel uncomfortable with the professor, but they can change the way a teacher sees you. When you show up and ask thoughtful questions, you become more than just a name on a roster. You become a student who is trying. A lot of professors remember that. Even if they are strict, many respect effort, preparation, and consistency.

Another thing: learn their expectations. Every professor has a pattern. Some care a lot about citations. Some care about participation. Some want short answers. Some want detailed explanations. Some want you to use specific vocabulary from class. Once you figure out what they value, your job becomes easier. You are not changing who you are. You are learning how to communicate in a way that matches the class.

If the professor is genuinely being unfair, dismissive, or inappropriate, then you should not just “deal with it.” Talk to an advisor, department chair, counselor, or someone you trust at school. There is a difference between a difficult teacher and a harmful one. A difficult teacher challenges you or has a tough communication style. A harmful teacher makes you feel unsafe, targeted, or consistently disrespected.

The goal is not to be liked by every professor. That is impossible. The goal is to learn how to advocate for yourself without losing your peace. Stay respectful, keep records, ask clear questions, use office hours, and get support when you need it.

Last Tuesday, marketing asked Viktor to write the weekly campaign recap, pull performance from Google Ads and Meta, and format it as a PDF for the exec team. Done in four minutes.

That same afternoon, engineering asked Viktor to review three open pull requests on GitHub, cross-reference with the Linear sprint board, and flag anything blocking the release. Posted to private channel before standup.

At 9pm, ops asked Viktor to draft a vendor contract summary from three Notion docs and send it to the team. It was in #ops by morning.

None of them knew the others were using it.

Same colleague. Three departments. That's what changes when your AI coworker lives in Slack, where your whole company already works. It's not a tool one person logs into. It's a teammate everyone messages.

5,700+ teams. SOC 2 certified. Your data never trains models.

"Viktor is now an integral team member, and after weeks of use we still feel we haven't uncovered the full potential." - Patrick O'Doherty, Director, Yarra Web

Start free. $100 in credits →