With the summer coming to a swift end, college students across the nation are coming back to reality and remembering that they are indeed still in school. This means pre-ordering books, finding furniture and decor for their new apartments, and reading reviews of their professors online, just to make sure they know what they're getting into. With all these processes students have go through before starting school again, I started to think about the first day of class. The excitement of starting a new semester, the nervousness of all the school work that implies, and the dullness of knowing the first week is nothing but introductions and syllabus overviews. In order to prepare for this first week, I have collected a list of all the characters you will likely encounter in college lecture...you know... to get you excited for class again.

1. The ‘Born Ready’ Person

These are the scholarly students who show up with an already printed syllabus ready to highlight every section the professor deems important in the introduction lecture. They have all the required textbooks weighing down their new NorthFace backpacks with their word documents open and prepped for note taking.

2. The ‘Ghost’ Student

These are the students that show up when they are summoned by test dates and guest lectures, but somehow disappear every other day of lecture. They show up the first day out of obligation, and will only appear throughout the semester on unexpected dates, then
leave just as swiftly as they appeared

3. The ‘I’m Just Filling a Credit’ Student

These are the students that show up indifferent to the first day of lecture, showing neither optimism nor hatred for the class. They follow along with the syllabus lecture while mentally planning out their strategy for how to do the least amount of work required to to pass the class.

4. The Old School Student

These are the students that show up to lecture with a notebook, pencil, and zero cares. Even if the professor allows technology in the classroom, they still resort to regular note-taking, saying “It helps me focus better.” These reasons are validated, because among a room of students surfing Facebook and online shopping, you can point out that student genuinely listening to the lecture… or daydreaming.

5. The Actually Old Student

Look, when you enter a college classroom, you expect to see college students. I am not saying that older students are unwelcome, because education is important; however, it is fairly obvious when a grandmother is taking Physics with you. That being said, these are arguably the better students, because they never miss a lecture and are always quick to respond to the professors in-lecture questions.

6. The ‘Avoid Group Projects with Them’ Students

These students are the one’s obviously looking for an easy ride in the class. They befriend other students in lecture just to rely on having someone to share their notes and catch them up on the material they missed. They hardly attend lecture because of these well-established safety nets they have created, and try very hard to remain unnoticed by the professor.

7. The ‘Where Do I Know You From?’ Student

While you begin to zone out during the introductory lecture, your eyes wander around the classroom, and suddenly you spot them. Its uncanny how similar they look to that other kid you never talked to in the other class you zoned out during. You ponder if they are possibly in the same major as you to end up in the same classes, but you will probably never ask.

8. The ‘Oh, I Went to High School With You’ Student

You know exactly where you recognize this student from and you still don’t want to bring it up. These students knew you, or at least saw you, in high school, which is a time you’d rather never reminisce about. You smile and wave at each other when entering class the first day, but for all subsequent lectures you will act like complete strangers

9. The Greek Life Student

These are the students that come into class decked out with their letters and are joined by a posse of other students from their house. As they enter the class, they keep running into more students from Greek life, and begin to clump into a large section of seats. These students have an upperhand because even on the first day of classes they have a group of friends to sit with and a pre-set study group.

10. The ‘I’m Going to Get to Know You’ Student

The beaming light in an otherwise dull day of classes is that one student that sparks your interest. This student gives you hope for the rest of the semester, because even if the class is terrible, you have some eye-candy to occupy the time. This student is a blessing and a curse, because now you have to actually put effort into your outfits, which can really be a challenge some mornings.

Happy Schooling!