We’ve all seen them: those brown-nosing, loud mouth students that you just hate sitting next to. You go out on a limb trying to avoid them at all cost, but sometimes you’re stuck next to the most obnoxious person at CU. Here’s some advice on how not to be that annoying classmate.
The Brown Noser
“No question is a stupid question” was valid when you were in elementary school. You’re in college now, so things are a bit different. I know you want to get noticed and maybe show your professor you’re engaged in the class, but lecture is the wrong time for that. You are not going to get a better grade by raising your hand in the middle of Chem 140 and asking a question.
First off, the teacher will not remember you. You are one of 400 students in the class; you are just a number. Hopefully you knew CU was a large university when you applied.
Second, usually in large lecture halls the teacher is doing just that – lecturing. He does not want to be interrupted in the middle of explaining differential equations or the philosophies of life. The professors, just like you, are on a time crunch and need to get through certain concepts before the school year ends. Make use of office hours; that’s what they are there for.
The Aisle Squatter
I understand that you want to be the first one to leave once class ends, but sitting in the aisle won’t make that much of a difference. Maybe you enjoy getting your stuff stepped on, or you like getting squished as people try to find a seat in your row. Whatever the reason may be, it’s extremely annoying for everyone else.
Have some sympathy for those people who arrive late for class and have to step around and push through those people seated in the aisle. It’s disrupting to the entire class and to the professor. How can you avoid being that annoying classmate you ask? Don’t sit in the aisle.
The Sniffer
Flu season is year-round at most universities. Freshmen are forced to live in confined areas, so there are bound to be a few runny noses in class. Usually people can tolerate a runny nose or a small cough, but when symptoms are above that, there are a few things to consider before going to class.
Are you about to take a test? Bring a box of tissues. No one, especially people who are in the middle of a difficult essay question, want to hear you sneezing and snotting everywhere. For the sake of sanitation and annoyance, be respectful to those around you.
Here’s some advice from the master of skipping class: If you’re enrolled in a lecture and feeling under the weather, don’t go if you’re contagious. Don’t compromise your classmates’ health by going to a class you can get notes on later.
The Chatty Cathy
Whispering during class is easy to ignore, but when a person thinks his deep, low voice cannot be heard, it is a completely different playing field. If you have a assertive teacher, those people will usually be shut down right away or asked to leave, but for those professors who are more timid, it’s a little more difficult to deal with those people. You can’t just be that person who “shh-es” the person who is speaking, because then you would be known as the “shh-er,” and you don’t want that either.
Try to ignore it and pay attention to the professor. If that’s not possible, stare in the general direction of the person “whispering.” Hopefully, the culprit will soon catch your gaze, and when he does, shoot him a death glare. If the whisperer doesn’t see you, clear your throat a bit, and that should get his or her attention. It’s obnoxious, but it tends to work every time.
The Early Packer
No one really wants to be in class, but there is no reason you need to pack up 10 minutes early. You will be missing prime notes because your notebook is already in your bag. You also distract the other 200 kids making an effort to pay attention.
Listening to a boring lecture is one thing, but hearing the clicks, zips and shifts of your book bag is even worse. This also triggers a chain reaction of other eager students waiting to get out of class. Now there’s not just one but 20 backpacks making noise. Help yourself and others by keeping your books and pencils on the table for that extra 10 minutes.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Kelsey Samuels at Kelsey.samuels@colorado.edu.
