The Inner Monologue of a College Student in a Lecture
Where should I sit? Aisle seat? Nah, middle of the row is the way to go.
I should have brought popcorn; I don’t really take notes in this class anyways. I remember I used to have a teacher who gave lectures as if he were telling stories. True, the stories were freaking awesome, but I never remembered what I needed to know for the exam.
Should I be taking notes? He’s just standing there, talking. There’s no new Powerpoint slide up, so I guess I can just listen. Or not listen.
How do other people take notes? Those people who are sitting together over there are so loud. I love looking at other people’s doodles. Reminds me that my shading and flower display is totally inadequate.
That girl who is sitting over there alone looks so focused. I bet she takes great notes. I’ll sit next to her next time. No, I’ll sit behind her.
I love watching other people in a lecture hall. That dude’s obviously playing video games, that chick’s reading her email…now shopping online…checking the news, now her email…
This girl in front of me. Her hair is so multi-colored. Why can’t mine be like that?
How do people manage to sit still? I play with my hair, I stretch, I yawn, I arch my back…I wonder what other people think of me??
Bruh, I have studied the architecture of this lecture hall about three times this week, eight times this month.
I could knit a scarf during class. Would anyone be offended if I started painting my nails?
My doodles are more intricate and painstaking than my notes will ever be.
I’m a freshman. I don’t know what midterms are supposed to be like. Either I’m completely prepared or I’m eternally fucked for these upcoming exams. Probably the latter.
I don’t want to think about the fact that I may be wasting my parents’ money right now. I told myself I’d be more motivated to learn once I left high school, but these classes are still pretty meh.
My professor is so smart. How does he know his material back and forth? If I just asked a random question about something tangentially related to this class, would he know the answer?
The problem is that few people ask questions in this class…everyone just sits and listens and writes and types.
I wish I paid more attention.
I’m just a…
Catherine Zhang 
One suggestion – try to avoid those massive lectures like the plague. I did well in college, but mainly in smaller classes where one had to participate. I remember in several lectures where I would literally fall asleep in front of the professor … I just can’t listen to anyone for hours on end … BORRRRRRRING! I think they should get rid of all the zoo-hall lectures and turn them into online classes, where at least you can be home in your jammies, eating popcorn or pizza, playing music in the background and participatie more in online discussions. I don’t think I remember ONE thing from a large lecture class – colossal wastes of time. Seriously, take as few of them as possible, they are like tossing your money down the toilet … not even close to quality education – and I don’t care where you go.
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You have a point! There’s barely any professor-student interaction, and discussions are often the best way to learn. That being said, my college offers smaller break-out groups on the weekly that flesh out the issues and discuss them in depth.
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Good to hear : ) Don’t mean to be judgmental about your educational experience … How I would I know? Your post just inspired flashbacks of me falling asleep in front of my professors and me jerking awake, only to find the prof giving me the evil eye. Another tip … if you have a tendency to fall asleep … avoid the front rows. I learned the hard way.
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Haha! I have a big cup of coffee every morning so I rarely fall asleep…instead I doodle. Alot.
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Oh this is great! I’m in my first year, too, and I definitely feel what you’re saying. Staying still? What is that, even??
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Yay!! Twins! I haven’t sat still for ages, especially since I force a cup of coffee down everyday.
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must say that I really really enjoyed the song ! thanx for the good vibes and I wish you all the best in your school, and don’t worry you’re not wasting time there, it just like everything else in life, things gets clearer with time ;)
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Thanks jojogjoy! I love Jakubi :)
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I’m totally the chick online shopping ;)
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;) all aboard the struggle bus.
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Your first year of college can be defining, setting-the-tone for the years to come, don’t waste your time playing, get serious… I speak from being there. If your classes are not interesting then find some that are for the next quarter/semester. I was not focused my first year and paid for it later with follow-on classes that required the knowledge I should have learned in prerequisites. One more thing, getting a “C” in a class is not good, if you are not getting an “A or B” in a class you’ve just wasted your time… if you haven’t learned by now that college academics are not like high school academics I would suggest you get with the program.
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Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I definitely have to shake myself down and get to studying…
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