We’ve all done it. You know, brown-nosed a bit to get what you want. Don’t be ashamed, it paid off right?

We grow up kissing the asses of parents, teachers and even friends to benefit ourselves. It continues to work wonders in the world of college. Instead of kissing ass, though, us classy college students call it making an impression.

 No one is more nervous than a freshman going to the first college class, especially when walking into a class of 300 other students. Fact: In a class with more than 300 people, each student is just another face in the crowd. Myth: The professor will never learn any names or care who you are.

 Believe it or not, professors want to see their students succeed. They have real human feelings, just like students (weird, I know). Getting the professor to learn your name is just one step for a student to ingratiate yourself.

 How each professor views a students dedication to the class directly affects how much time he or she is willing to give to help with a paper, assignment, getting an internship or even letters of recommendations for jobs.

 But the benefits don’t stop there.

Having a personal rapport with a professor can benefit beyond the one semester spent in that class.

 “A semester after establishing a relationship with one of my professors, I received a phone call from her offering me a full apprenticeship to work under her, and experience first-hand what I was going to be doing after school,” said Emily Mac, junior nursing major at Biola University. “It’s crazy to think I never would have gotten that opportunity if it weren’t for the first day of instruction when I started talking to her before class.”

 Whether we realize it or not, our professors put (almost) as much work into making the tests and assignments as we put into studying the material.

 Coming to class without the work done, texting the whole time and then leaving early is not just wasting your time, but the professor’s too.

Professors’ want nothing more than to come to class and see students engaged and awake. Taking the initiative to be in class on time, in the front row (relatively) and ready for instruction shows you’re not there to waste time. In return, your professor will be more inclined to spend more time out of class to help you.

 “I was so terrified of one my professors that I didn’t even enjoy going to class,” said Daniel Greiner, junior physical therapy major at San Jose State University. “He didn’t know me and I was fine with that, until I needed his help. I ended up sacrificing doing better on a paper because I wouldn’t go to his office hours. Big mistake.”

 Putting the time and effort into kissing a little ass now and then doesn’t mean you’ll be friends for life or they’ll get you a dream job that pays six figures. But by getting involved, asking questions and even saying hello when they walk into class, your professor will notice.

 Are they going to throw you a parade and give you an A because you asked how their weekend was? Get real. But when you’re sick in bed with pneumonia (cough, cough, hangover) and you need an extension on that big paper, your professor might just be more inclined to help you out.

 “My senior year of college I had a major tragedy happen in my family,” said Megan Doering, William Jessup University alumna. “The biggest project of my college career was conveniently due the same month of the incident. Because I had established a relationship with my professor, she knew how much work I’d put into the class, and granted an extension for the project, saving me from an incomplete in the course.”

 So here’s the deal. You want to succeed in college, right? Then put your pride aside, bend down and pucker up. No student does anything worth bragging about without a little ass kissing to get them there.

Natalie Gray can be reached at [email protected]