As students, we have enough to deal with already. When you add a professor into the mix that does any of the things listed below, it’s enough to make us go crazy. Over the course of your collegiate career, you’re bound to run into more than a few of these annoying things that college professors do.
1. When college professors don’t know how to handle technology
This can range from a number of different things from never replying to emails to spending 10 minutes at the beginning of each class getting the projector to turn on to cursing at the computer when it messes up the formatting of the lecture powerpoint. You may even run into a professor or two that have just completely given up on technology altogether and sometimes that’s even worse because you get stuck printing out all of your assignments to turn in and the lectures only include notes scribbled illegibly on the whiteboard.
2. When a professor gets too excited about emails
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, you may end up with a teacher who is only too excited about the wonders of technology and wants to share at every chance they get. For me, these types of professors usually end up being the ones that teach my online classes and that’s understandable as our online courses don’t get that face-to-face class time and communication is important. But I draw the line at getting five emails a day from the same professor. When I have to sift through a gmail inbox full of emails from one person, there’s a problem.
3. When a professor doesn’t believe in giving students A’s on papers or assignments
Some professors go above and beyond the requirements for “strict grading” by ensuring that—no matter how many hours you spent at your laptop, with your textbook, or in your study groups—students in their class don’t walk away with an A. Now, I’m a firm believer in having to earn your grades, but there is a point when it gets a little ridiculous and the only consolation you have is a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and the sympathetic support of your roommates and friends while you rant.
4. When your professors haven’t graded your tests… From over two weeks ago
Students often forget that professors have actual lives outside of their classroom. Does that excuse them from not grading exams in a timely manner? Absolutely not. As a student, I’m expected to work with assignment deadlines and I have no reason to believe that my professors can’t, especially when I’m promised every class period for five consecutive classes that “I don’t have your tests graded yet. But I’ll have them done by the next time we meet.” It’s torture enough that I’m anxious about my exam grades so it’s honestly cruel to make me wait an additional week or two.
5. When college professors are late to every class
I make it a commitment to be here on time every class period and I’d appreciate it if professors did too. That’s not too much to ask for, right?
6. When your professor keeps lecturing even though class was over 20 minutes ago
You barely have enough time to run across campus for your next class as it is, but your chances of making it on time aren’t great when you’re still sitting at your desk 20 minutes after class is supposed to end vigorously taking notes. Time means nothing to this professor. The next class is loudly waiting outside the door to get in because their class starts soon, so you barely catch the words the professor is saying. In small or infrequent doses, staying a little longer after class isn’t a big deal but it usually ends up begin almost every class period. Truthfully, you’ve probably thought about walking out more than once but it seems like every time you’ve made up your mind to bail, your professor reminds you that the material he is currently covering will be on the next test.
7. When professors assign group projects
Honestly, this hardly needs an explanation. The entire process of group projects—from picking partners to scrambling the night before the due date to finish—is long, arduous, and a source of unneeded stress especially for students like me who would rather just tackle the assignment themselves (and usually end up doing so anyways).
8. When the professor requires a blue book for your essay exams
Are you really about to spend 35 cents for six sheets of notebook paper stapled together? Not that it matters because you usually forget to buy them from the bookstore anyways and end up begging a classmate to lend you their extra one. Students pay a ridiculous sum for tuition each semester so the least a professor could do is provide paper for exams.
9. When professors don’t believe in study guides
Have fun stress eating and crying over your class notes for the next few days. Study guides are such a valuable tool when it comes to test-taking and it’s something that is too often taken for granted. Without them, you’re stuck scouring pages and pages of notes, frantically trying to review over 100 powerpoint slides from class lectures, and highlighting every other line of five full chapters in your textbook.
10. When a professor won’t cancel class no matter what
This professor just doesn’t know when to give up. They could be trying to teach class with the worst cough of their life and resiliently hacking their way through the lesson because they won’t call it day. Extreme weather conditions in the winter? If the university hasn’t called off classes, have fun trudging through feet of snow and risking your life on icy roads to get to campus. The syllabus is a way of life for this professor and it must be followed at all costs.
