A big part of the college classroom is the diversity among students, but inevitably, we are able to pinpoint what type of students there are in our classes. Some are in a good way; for example, that one person who will always post their notes online for their other classmates; but others are made out to be the reasons why we dread going to class. You know, the arguer, that person who always asks for paper, and of course the texter. Every class has them, no matter hard we try to avoid it. Here are some of the kids you most likely have in your class.
The Habitual Arguer
We all have that one student that just loves to butt heads with the professor. Whether it is about grammar, history, math, etc. No matter what the subject, the class, the issue at hand, this person just has to try to prove the teacher wrong. I had this person in my Spanish class who tried to argue over the upside down punctuation in Spanish grammar (¿ ¡); saying it was wrong and we should not have to do it. You would think this argument would last only thirty seconds, but this person dragged on about it over the next three class periods. Needless to say, that the entire class mutually dislikes this type of student.
The Excessive Note-Taker
Part of being a college student means taking excessive notes, but of course, there is always that one person that has to go overboard. The Excessive Note-Takers are those people in class that have to jot down every single word said in class, as well as what is on the overhead screen. They most likely have the color-coded flashcards already made for the exam- two months from now. This person has to take up class time to stop the professor from changing the slide so they can jot down everything that is on there. Although in the end you are more inclined to ask this person for the notes when you miss class.
The Techie
This type just makes me perplexed about the regulation of a college’s free-technology policies. The Techie is always equipped with the latest technological advances, ready to be used for in-class lectures. They have the voice recorder, the camera, the laptop, and of course the tablet all charged and ready to go. This person uses so many electrics that it takes away from actual learning. Instead of taking actual notes in class, they will sit there, and just record the class to watch in their own time. I do not know whether or not this is a better way of getting everything down in class, but college students already spend thousands of dollars a semester just for classes. Is it really a smart investment when you buy all of these gadgets? No, I’m genially asking. Is it?
The Unprepared Bermuda Triangle
If you do not come to class without any supplies, then you might as well not even show up at all. The most irritating person that I have encountered in a class is the Unprepared Bermuda Triangle. I call them this because whenever you give them anything (paper, pencils, notes, etc.) than it is gone for good. This person will show up to class without anything type of supplies to do any work. No paper, no pens, and especially no textbook. Never -- under any circumstances -- give this person anything of value. You will never see it again. What infuriates me about this person is that if they ever actually come to class prepared, and someone else doesn’t, this person will not help out their fellow classmate. So much for being in the same boat.
The Texter
This person might as well not even show up for class. All they do is sit in class and go on their phone. They don’t take notes and they don’t even pay attention in class. This person is so oblivious in class that they don’t even realize when class has started or finished. They physically cannot spare the hour or two it takes to pay attention in class. The worst part about this type of classmate is that if you sit right behind them then you basically know everything they are doing on their small screens.
The Hyperactive Candy Cane of Joy
We all have had the occasional early morning class. If you have not then be very wary of this individual. This person is the definition of a morning person times eleven. There are either too cheerful or excessively loud, or occasionally the exciting combination of both. If you are not a morning person, like myself, than this person will become your morning class nemesis. Even though they don’t intentionally try to annoy the entire class, they almost always do. Their cheerfully loud eagerness of morning classes is enough to give any non-morning person a rather large migraine.
The Ghosts
Just like actual ghosts, you will never actually see them. That is unless you summon them from their graves (i.e. their bedrooms) for the occasional exam. The roster might say eighty students, but only about three-quarters of that will actually show up. They will continually ask for someone’s notes online, but not even bother to do it themselves. You will occasionally see them in the dark corners of the classroom, but once you turn your head they disappear. They either show up half way through the lecture or are out the door once attendance and announcements are over. No one will really see these classmates unless there is an exam or term paper due.
With every class I take I am exposed to a new demographic of students. Every professor runs their class differently. Each class you take will be different from the others you have previously taken. College is an endless pit of diversity, opportunities, and knowledge. The way we obtain that knowledge is varied from student to student. But with all of our different perspectives of college life, we have intertwining findings when it come to the types of classmates we have.
