Five annoying habits of the university student
author: elisabeth sahlmueller | contributor
Walking towards oblivion / Jeremy Davis
Honestly, these are just the worst.
Our four-month summer break is a nice chance for us all to soak up the sun and do something besides schoolwork, but once September begins, there is a part of me that gets excited for the new school year. However, after being back for a couple of days, I’ve quickly remembered all the annoying habits of university students.
1. Walking down the hallway side by side in a large group and not moving over.
It is extremely frustrating when you are in a hurry to get somewhere and the group of people in front of you is walking side by side, making it difficult to pass. Or how about when you are walking down the hallway and the large group is heading toward you? Despite the fact that both sides should have an equal amount of room, those individuals are taking up way more than their half. It is as though they don’t see you, or simply don’t care. I understand that you want to walk beside your friend or classmate – so do I – but next time you are walking down the hallway, try to act a bit more considerately. Move over and don’t block the pathway of people trying to pass.
2. Hardly showing up to class, and then when you do, taking someone else’s seat.
One of the most important reasons to attend the first day of class is not just to hear the boring syllabus speech, but to choose a good seat. For me, I don’t want to be stuck right at the front and I don’t want a seat that squeaks every time I move. Once I select this seat, I usually sit there for all the following classes. As the semester goes on, I don’t have to worry about coming too early to class because I already have my established seat, as do all the other students, and this is adhered to as one of the silent rules of respect between classmates. Then the day of the mid-term comes, and I show up to class just a couple of minutes before it begins, as I spent extra time in the library doing some last-minute studying. When I arrive, I head to my seat only to find it occupied by some student that hasn’t shown up for any other previous class. All the other good seats are taken, so I end up sitting right in the front, in a seat that constantly squeaks every time I shift positions, and my concentration is blown. I know university classes don’t have a seating plan, but within a few days, everyone has their own spot. If you haven’t shown up to a single class, what makes you think you have first choice of seats? If the day of the mid-term is your first time showing up to class, stand at the back of the room until everyone else has come in and then choose your seat from whatever is left over. If that is too much to ask, maybe find time in your schedule to show up to the class that you registered for and claim your seat like everyone else.
3. Leaving a mess in you work area
One of the best features of university is that no matter what building you are in, there is always multiple areas available for doing schoolwork. However, it is quite irritating when you get to an area and find it a mess, with either food crumbs, eraser shavings, food wrappers, or papers. The university maintenance does a great job cleaning the school, but it is not their job to constantly clean up after every student’s mess. Next time you make a mess, clean it up. It’s just that simple. It won’t take long and the student that comes to use that space afterward will really appreciate it.
4. Making a sharp turn around the corner going the opposite way
It seems that 80 per cent of the time I turn around a corner, I nearly collide with whomever is right there. In these cases, I always move over and, without even thinking about it, “sorry” comes flying right out of my mouth. Even though I have turned the corner on the ‘right’ side, I am the one apologizing for some reason. Usually, the other person also says sorry, but sometimes the other person gives me a dirty look, as though I did something wrong, although they are the one on the wrong side. To prevent these situations, let’s all try to remember to walk on the right side, even when turning a corner.
5. Playing a game, surfing the web or doing something else distracting on your laptop in the middle of class.
I am old fashioned when it comes to taking notes in class, as I prefer to write them out by hand. At the same time, I realize that some people like typing out their notes and that’s fine with me. What I do mind, though, is when the student in front of me is not typing out their notes, but is playing a game, watching a video, or anything else unrelated to class. I know that some classes are extremely boring, due to the dry material, or the monotone voice of the professor, which practically lulls you to sleep. However, despite your disinterest in the class, there are students who need it and are trying to pay attention. If you are one of these students who would rather do anything else on your laptop during class, please sit at the back, that way you can spend class time doing whatever you want without being a distraction to your classmates.
While these are all annoying habits that everyone is guilty of having done at some point, there are solutions to avoid them. University is rough on all of us; let’s try to make it as less irritating for each other as possible.
