Do Professors Notice Attractive Students?
Professors like everyone else are not blind to the looks of their students. They come across a wide range of students considered to be adults at that level of education.
So, professors notice attractive students all the time, which is normal. That said, it’s considered unethical for them to date their students.
Keep in mind that a professor finding a student attractive doesn’t mean they’re attracted to them. Attractiveness and attraction are related but different ideas.
While attraction may imply a romantic interest in the student, finding someone attractive simply implies a feeling that the person is beautiful or appealing but not necessarily in a romantic sense.
Are Professors Attracted To Their Students
Yes, it’s not uncommon for professors to be attracted to their students. That said, most educational institutions consider this unethical and implement policies that prohibit romantic relationships between professors and students (over whom the professor exercises significant academic or supervisory authority).
Unlike teachers who interact with younger students, professors interact with students primarily considered to be adults at that level of education.
And with professors interacting with students daily, it’s not unheard of, for professors to develop some form of attraction toward students.
With multiple incidences of teacher-student relationships, most tertiary institutions have implemented policies that either fully or partially ban romantic relationships between professors and students.
Keep in mind that relationships between professors and students (adults) are not illegal but unethical according to school policies. While professors may not face any legal actions, they’d be their ethics committee for breaching school policies.
Punishments differ depending on the educational institution, but the professor could lose their license in the worst-case scenario.
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Professor Crush On Student Signs
So how do you determine whether your professor is attracted to you? Maybe they’re flirting with you and you don’t know it. What are the signs?
Randomly Calls On You To Answer Questions
While this particular point does not mean the professor has a crush on you, a professor who has a crush on a student would enjoy calling on them to answer questions in class.
Keep in mind that professors dating students is considered unethical and educational institutions have policies prohibiting this.
So, the professor may not be able to interact much with you outside of class. Asking you to answer questions allows them to engage in conversation with you.
Offer Extra Office Hours To Teach You
If they identify you’re having problems in certain areas, they may offer extra office hours to help you better understand these problem areas.
While they genuinely want to help you in your academics, this also offers an opportunity for them to hopefully further their relationship with you.
In case you notice conversations with your professor drift towards personal topics, they’re most likely flirting with you.
Compromise On Deadlines
If you constantly miss deadlines and present flimsy excuses, but the professor is willing to extend your deadlines more than other students, they probably like you.
They most likely don’t want you to see them in a negative light or do anything that would make you sad (because they care about you).
Generous Grading
Sometimes it’s easy to tell what grade you’ll be getting for the work you’ve done on an assignment or test. And while it’s not rare to get a higher grade than you expected, it’s also possible that your professor likes you. This is especially true if you notice playful comments on your work.
Steals Glances At You And Smiles
One of the most obvious signs you can find that confirms someone likes you. If you catch your professor stealing glances at you multiple times, they’re probably into you.
If you’re not sure and believe it to be a coincidence, you can keep observing them to see how often it happens. They either like you or you’re probably their favorite student.
Check On You More Than Others
If you find that your professor checks up on you more than your peers, it’s a clear sign that they’re interested in you. Keep in mind that it’s very possible that they’re genuinely concerned about you because they know something about you.
But in other cases, it’s because they just want to get to know you more. Asking about your personal life means they care about you.
Excuses To Talk Outside Class
If your professor keeps finding excuses to spend time with you, they probably like you. It could be in the hallway or their office, but so long as they’re willing to take time out of their days to get you to talk to them about your personal life, they probably like spending time with you and want to get to know you better.
Talk To You Longer
Professors have busy schedules and wouldn’t spend too long talking with a student unless necessary.
If your professor dedicates a lot of time to talk with you, they most likely like spending time with you and want to get to know you better.
Unfortunately, they understand the regulations of their institutions and would refrain from acting on any crush they might have.
And while they may not want to lose their jobs, they may want to get to know you, in hopes of developing into a relationship once you’ve graduated and are no longer their student.
Ask Personal Questions
If your professor asks a lot of personal questions, they probably want to get to know you better. Keep in mind that this could also be a sign that they’re concerned about you (academically or otherwise).
Smile Often Around You
If your professor seems to smile more than usual around you, it’s a sign that they probably like you. Sometimes for absolutely no reason, you’ll find them smiling when they’re with you.
Jealous When You Hanging Out With Someone Else
The professor may become jealous when they find you with someone who obviously likes you. They may come to class the next day feeling a bit down.
If they’re used to engaging you in class but suddenly stop after seeing you with someone else, they like you and are outright jealous.
Do Attractive Students Get Better Grades
While it’s easy to believe all professors maintain strict academic integrity, it’s not always the case. Most professors would not easily be charmed into giving attractive students better grades.
Unfortunately, some professors might be unconsciously biased toward attractive students.
After all, it’s no secret that attractiveness can lead to more opportunities even in the real world. You can get hired quicker, and even find a date faster, and even increase your chances of persuading others.
A study at the Metropolitan State University of Denver found that attractive students got better grades during traditional classes as opposed to online classes.
The study further revealed that the better-looking students were, the greater the difference in grades between online and traditional classes especially in classes where attractive students were clearly visible.
And while the grade differences may be small, it could make the difference between a passing grade and a failing one. Additionally, it was also identified that attractiveness in female students resulted in better grades than in male students irrespective of the gender of the instructor.
For each point raised on the attractiveness rating scale, female students’ grades increased by 0.024 (on a 4.0 scale). Additionally, students in the “average” attractiveness categories outperformed those in the “less attractive” group by 0.067 grade points.
Keep in mind that the figures above were only in the case of traditional classroom learning. In the case of online classrooms, when professors hardly ever get to see what each student looks like, this discrepancy vanished.
While the reasons behind this disparity are unclear, it’s possible instructors may unconsciously reward attractive students with higher grades.
