Survival Shelters — 2012 Survival Guide

Baloo:

I'm a professor and I have been shocked at how often this does happen. Although, the cases I've heard of usually involve older students, not freshmen.

From what I've seen, it happens much more in departments where students and professors have to spend a lot of time together. For example, people spend a lot of time on field trips and in labs in my department, and things happen on the trips or when people are working together alone in labs. Many of the professors are married to former grad students! But in departments like English, where professors and students work alone more, I think this kind of thing happens less often.

It happens much less often nowadays than it used to, because many universities have strict policies against it. If I were you, I would NEVER flirt with a professor because he will probably worry that you will sue him for sexual harassment and react VERY badly towards you. The fallout could really hurt your future career and his. Also, people will not respect you if they find out about it. Any professor who actually WOULD get into any kind of relationship with a student these days is taking a huge risk. The professors I know of still do this sort of thing are always pretty weird and immature, and not the kind of people you should get involved with.

Students often think because of movies that professors would love to have sex with a hot student. But the professors I know really don't spend a lot of time thinking about their students–except for the few I mentioned above who don't have great judgment. College students are very young. Most professors are more interested in people who have graduated. A lot of the student – professor relationships I know of started because the professor liked having someone to talk to about his work, not because of the "hot student" stereotype. I have seen a lot of students embarrass themselves because they think all professors want a hot college student. So don't flirt with your professors!

So, it happens… But much less than it did. And the consequences are so severe for any professor caught in a relationship with a student (or vice versa) that a professor would have to be crazy to take the risk. Good luck at university.