When I was a freshman and first entered college, I was terrified. I was hundreds of miles away from my family, and I found myself in a big city that I had never been to before. I had no idea how the world worked, and the idea of being pulled from the comfort of my small town and family, both excited and petrified me.

On the day I moved into the dorms, after everything was perfectly set up in my new room and my parents had gone to Target to purchase anything that I had perhaps forgotten, I had to say goodbye to my family. It was the routine going-away scene, with plenty of hugs and a bit of crying. My older sister, who had already been through this process before, came up to me and said, “If I could only give you one piece of advice, it would be this: sit in the front of the classroom.” That quite possibly was the most confusing point of my day. Out of everything she could have said to me, such as “don’t walk alone at night” or “remember to go to class,” she decided to give me that piece of advice. I literally thought it was the most useless piece of advice I had ever received and I didn’t even try to decipher why she delivered the message to me.

Despite still being perplexed by her advice, I, on the first day of the semester, in my first college class ever, decided to sit in the front row of the classroom. And I absolutely hated it. In my sister’s defense, we are two very different people. I now understand why she would enjoy the front of the classroom. I did not enjoy it, however, and I soon began searching for the perfect spot to sit in the rest of my classes. As soon as I tested out all the different sections of various classrooms, I began to understand how each spot was different, and why it was important to choose wisely where you sit.   

1.The Front: The majority of the population in the front of the classroom is either older people returning to school, or people who are infatuated with the topic of the class. If it is an Astronomy class, for example, the front row is typically 40 year olds who intently listen to the entirety of the lecture, or people who have had the solar system painted on their bedroom wall since the third grade. These are the people who take a plethora of detailed notes, avidly pay attention, and get good grades on the tests. When you ask the person sitting next to you a question, they will actually know the answer. So, if you are incredibly interested in the subject, love learning, or desperately need to get a good grade in the class, sit in the front. 

2. The Middle: I personally love the middle. The middle of the classroom is perfect if you want to do well in the class, but also sometimes want to devote your time to "Facebook" or "Buzzfeed." However, if you sit in the middle, you definitely have to rely more on yourself to pay attention, because if you are confused, others around you might be confused as well. 

3. The Back: Sitting in the back of the classroom is fun if you have friends in the class, because you will have a better chance at getting away with talking during lecture. You also run the risk, however, of other people talking and not being able to hear the lecture. These people are also less likely to respect your wishes if you ask them to be quiet, since they specifically choose to sit in the back so that they could talk. There are also more distractions in the back, such as listening to other people’s conversations, constantly being on the Internet, and looking at other people’s computer screen’s when you put your laptop away because it was too distracting.   

Obviously, these situations don’t apply to every class you will take in college. Some classes are smaller, too small for this classroom setup to apply. You will ultimately have to choose where you sit in the classroom based on your personal preferences, but you just have to remember to choose wisely.