When going to college, the professors are there to teach things and answer questions when you have them.

What would you do if you had a professor who wrote a book you needed, and when he told you where to get it, he was snarky and rude?

That is what happened to the student in this story, and since English is not her native language, she wonders if she did something wrong by asking about it.

Let’s read all the details.

AITA for asking my professor for a book?

I (21f) failed a course last semester, so I have to repeat it this semester.

The professor wrote his own book on the subject, so it’s been the most helpful resource for me to study from.

Unfortunately, for the past few weeks, the chapter of the book that’s most relevant to our course hasn’t been accessible online due to some technical issue.

I’m not sure if it’s a problem on my end or the server’s, but a few days ago I decided to email the professor to ask if there was anything he could do to help me access that chapter.

You shouldn’t hesitate to reach out to a professor for help. That is their job.

I’m usually too shy to reach out to professors, but he’s made it a point to say he wants us to ask questions and seek help before the exams, since a lot of students tend to fail.

He responded, suggesting I either ask the library or, alternatively, I could pick up a printed copy of the book from the secretary in the afternoon.

She should just ask for clarification or ask another student.

I agreed to the second option, but shortly before heading out to get the book, I realized I had no idea where the secretary was.

My college doesn’t have a proper secretary, so I figured he meant someone from my faculty (business law) which doesn’t explicitly employ a “secretary.” The closest thing we have is an “assistant,” but since I’m not a native speaker of the local language, I wasn’t sure if that’s who he was referring to.

When I went to her office to ask, I saw the professor in a big meeting in an open-concept room. I didn’t want to interrupt or risk him saying something in front of everyone in case I had misunderstood, so I decided to email him again asking for clarification on who exactly he meant by “secretary.”

That was rude of him.

He replied in a sarcastic tone, basically asking if I had ever even been to my own faculty building and said it was obviously the assistant.

By the time I got his reply, it was too late to pick up the book, and the next day was a bank holiday. So, I planned to get it today.

I also had an appointment with my psychiatrist, and since my boyfriend was heading to campus anyway (he has the same professor), he offered to pick it up for me.

He had helped me write the emails and knew the situation, so I didn’t think it was a big deal.

The professor seems to be overly critical.

But now he’s just told me the professor is really mad at me.

Apparently, the professor said I should have gone to the library myself and accused me of “activating” two people (him and my boyfriend) to do my work for me.

AITA?

I don’t see why the professor is upset, even if he does have to answer a few extra questions. Maybe there is more to this story than she is letting on.

Let’s see what the people in the comments on Reddit say about it.

This would have been the right thing to do.

Yup, the professor should be happy to help.

This person might be a little harsh, but not wrong.

I do agree with this commenter.

This commenter thinks she is coming across as very helpless.

It was a simple question.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.