With the new semester underway, the halls are alive and the classrooms are buzzing with anticipation for what’s to come. There’s one very peculiar phenomenon that occurs every semester, and that’s the five types of people you’re guaranteed to see in class. You might even find that you are one of these students. If so, you may want to tweak your approach to this semester so that it will be as fruitful as possible!
1. The “Three-Timer”: You’ll see this student on the first day and may never see them again. This is the one who comes to class the first day, for the midterm and for the final. You always wonder how they manage to accomplish anything, yet are bewildered when you realize they have a higher grade than you! Watch out for phrases such as “I’m more of a personal learner,” or “this class is basically all on D2L anyways…”
2. “The Multi-Tasker”: This person is the one who comes to class, opens up their laptop and never takes their eyes off of it until class is dismissed. Watch out for the rare breed that goes further and has their headphones in, feeling the need to catch up on Vampire Diaries during Microeconomics. They may defend themselves by saying “I’m taking notes,” or “What? I have the lecture slides up in one of these tabs!”
3. “The Over-Participator”: This student feels the need to be involved in every class discussion, whether they have a useful contribution or not. The class participation grade is this student’s main goal, and they will stop at nothing to get their 100%. You’ll usually find them in the front row, but in some cases they may choose to sit towards the back, adding that extra dash of loudness to your 10 a.m. philosophy class.
4. “The Sleeper Cell”: You may wonder if this person meant to sign up for the 8 a.m. World History lecture or if it was a horrific mistake. We all see the regular sleeper from time to time, but this particular individual takes it to narcoleptic levels. You will see them entering the classroom with a Red Bull in one hand and a pillow in the other, knowing that luckily sometime today they will be awake. For your class, unfortunately, they will be sound asleep.
5. “Typical College Student”: You don’t want to be this student, though. No one does! College embodies much more than course reads and papers. So what will you do this semester that will make you stand out in a good way? Don’t be afraid to try new things, join a club or maybe even come write for the newspaper. No matter what you do, make sure to never take yourself too seriously, and have the best semester yet!
