What Not To Do In Class

Geena McGuiness

The first few weeks of the semester have passed and at this point, it’s safe to say we’ve made our first impressions. We’re waking
up fifteen minutes before we need to leave for class, rather than at 5:30 am to shower and get ready. Some of us may have even forgotten about those resolutions we made at the beginning of the semester already.  While first impressions are the most important and memorable, our behaviors can carry on throughout the semester, and how we act in class effects our grades. Usually, we think our professors don’t notice when we do something wrong, however, they do.
After asking several professors what their number one pet peeve was during class, they all had the same answer. Texting. It’s a rule
in every syllabus that students must not text during class, and unless you have an extreme interest in your lap, you’re not fooling anyone. Most of us like to put our phones in our pockets, on our laps, or even right out in the open on our desks.  Texting can wait until after class, but if there is some sort of emergency, or if you’re the kind of person who likes to take notes on your phone, be sure to ask your professor prior to the class. Otherwise, be sure to put your phone, and any other handheld device for that matter, away. And for the record, if your professor sees you doing this, they tend to take a mental note.
Number two: don’t fall asleep. Some people are lucky enough to be morning people. But to most of those less fortunate, it kills.
Showing up to class on time, or just showing up at all, are automatic brownie points on our final grades, but if you’re going to fall asleep, well, there go your points. You might as well just not show up to class at all. Try setting short-term goals for yourself like going
to sleep an hour earlier than you usually do each night. Yes, this is college. Most of us are full-time students and work a million jobs,
but if that’s the case, try setting aside some of your free time to take care of business. If you have a paper that’s not due until next
week, get a jump-start on it, rather than cramming it in at three in the morning the night before it’s due. You’ll feel more relaxed and
less tired knowing that you can cross that off your to-do list.
If you’re a coffee drinker and you have some time before class, bring the coffee with you. Just don’t show up late with it in your hand, it looks bad. Also, try to make sure you always have something in your stomach, even if it’s something as light as a granola bar or a banana, because eating something after we wake up naturally energizes us.  Speaking of food, most professors are pretty lenient about bringing food to class. When we’re on the run, we usually don’t have time to stop, sit down, and eat our lunch. So feel free to bring a sandwich or a snack to class, just please be cautious of what you eat.  Sure, a lot of people enjoy tuna, but it’s not necessarily everybody’s favorite smell. Try to avoid bringing food with strong odors like tuna, and almost anything from a fast food joint. It’s going to get pretty cold in just a few short months and all the windows in our class are going to be shut, and the heat will be radiating, making it your food smell much worse than necessary. Also try to avoid bringing peanut butter and jelly or anything with nuts in it, due to allergies. There are some people who cannot even be within the vicinity of peanuts without having a reaction.
Another familiar reaction one might get from their classmates is death stares. Why, you ask? Always be conscious when you are chewing gum that you’re not, for lack of a better term, clacking it, or when you’re using a clickable pen, don’t continuously click it. It
distracts other students from doing their work and your professors from lecturing. It particularly gets under people’s skin when they’re trying to take a test. Cancelling out these tiny habits will overall make you a better student and help you focus. Even if you’re not paying attention, make it look like you are. “One thing I can’t stand from students is a blank face. It makes me feel like they can’t
comprehend anything I’m saying,” says Professor Wendy Ryden of the English Department. Our minds tend to wander off several times throughout the day, which is okay. We’re human, but we also have to realize that we’re students and we go to class for a purpose.