If you’re attracted to your professor, it can be painful to fight the urge to flirt shamelessly with him. However, is breaching the student-teacher conduct worth it? And better yet, is it safe?

The downside to flirting with your professor is that you have to be subtle. When he asks, “Any questions?” You can’t blurt out, “Would you like to make out with me?” Likewise, the lines, “I’ve lost my number, can I borrow yours,” “Are you tired? Because you’ve been running through my mind all day,” and “Nice shoes. Wanna f*ck” are inappropriate.

Even being subtle can be difficult, since, chances are, if he’s really that hot, all of the other girls in class have noticed. So if you’re idea of flirting with a prof is to memorize all of the reading assignments and raise your hands twelve times in a 50-minute lecture, the other girls are going to recognize your feeble attempts, and you’ll be labeled a suck-up or a teacher’s pet. And if he nicely asks you to give someone else a chance to participate, you will feel your heart shatter into bitty pieces and fume when he compliments Betty Jean’s insightful answer.

Like any man, you have to learn to read your crush before you can establish whether you will get anywhere by flirting. Sure, it could happen. But even if you think he’s vibing you, making a pass could result in utter embarrassment, an awkward rest-of-the-term, or a violation of student conduct. Sure, if he’s one of those laid-back teachers with a sense of humor, you can crack jokes laced with innuendos and brush it off, but those professors are few and far between, and you still need to be careful not to cross the line.

The bottom line is, do you really think a relationship could work? After all, your grade lies in his hands. If he grades you fairly and you don’t like the mark, it could start a fight – it was his fault you couldn’t do your homework, after all – and if he grades you on your extracurricular activities, you don’t deserve your GPA. What about after the course, when he keeps his hectic teaching/grading schedule and you just want to run away for spring break? Or, in the worst case scenario, what if you wind up jeopardizing his career?

We’re all legal, consenting adults in college, so it can be difficult to draw the line between lust and completely inappropriate. Who knows, maybe he feels the same way, and will come on to you first! However, since your education is involved here, I recommend trusting your instincts and PROCEEDING WITH CAUTION.