As a student with 8 AM classes, Monday through Friday, I have become accustomed to my schedule during the first four weeks of classes. This doesn't mean, however, that when I stay up late the night before finishing a paper like the true procrastinator that I am, that I won't have any problems waking up bright and early the next morning. This morning, I decided to press snooze one or two extra times. As I rushed to get ready and ran to class, I was not worried about being late. In fact, I walked in at the exact minute class starts, but when I walked in, I saw something that woke me up.
Someone had taken my seat. I understand that we are not in high school anymore and you can sit where you choose, but this person was sitting in the seat that I chose, four weeks ago. In a lecture of over 50 people, the seats are scarce, and I ended up all the way in the back. In high school, I actually used to sit in the back because it was the "cool" thing to do. You could sit with your friends and pass notes or whisper to each other, or play on your phone. Now that I pay for my education, it's a different story. From the first day of my freshman year, I have claimed front row seats and now, after experiencing a day in the back, I know I made the right choice.
The back row is like another dimension. There are nine unfamiliar heads in front of me and I can see everyone, except for the professor. He is more like a speck. Sitting in the front, I could pretend that the eight people around me were the only ones in my class, but now I see it all. It's no longer personal and my professor can't look me in the eye while he lectures. His voice sounds like it is miles away even though I know it's not.
Everything around me serves as a distraction, from papers crinkling, to people readjusting in their seats. I can tell that the people surrounding me aren't able to concentrate either or just choose not to be, but maybe they're okay with that. I am not. There are people on their phones, playing games on their computers, and looking around the room praying for time to go faster. I can hear that pen clicking better than I can hear the difference between a plant and an animal cell. I have to look in ten different directions just to see every inch of the whiteboard.
So next class, when I want to press snooze for the fourth time, I will be reminded of this horrid experience and jolt out of bed. I will choose to be early and claim my territory before anyone else can. Those extra ten minutes of laying in bed don't make up for an hour of lost concentration.
