Six types of students you’ll find in every class

As the final day to add and drop classes is on the horizon and introductions are over, lectures and discussion sections are in full force. We’re slowly but surely remembering what it’s like to take notes, and we’re accepting that our first assignments are due in about a week or two. For most of us, we’re about to cross paths yet again with the classmates who make lectures bearable, or at least entertaining, a reminder that college classes are all pretty similar because of these six people that you’ll likely find in most of your classes.

1.) The texter
This person isn’t particularly unique, and we all more or less fall into this category. However, this is a special shout out to the person whose eyes never leave his or her phone from the beginning of the lecture to the very end. They generally sit in the back, but some are bold enough to sit in the middle or even up front and have their phones in plain view. Some have a notebook out for effect while others know no notes will be taken. One may argue, why waste your time even coming to class if you walk in with the intention of not paying attention? But there are many things that can’t be explained by college student logic.

2.) The online shopper
We’re all guilty of browsing the web in class, obviously. This particular person is always interesting though because they do it every class through the entire class. The page isn’t minimized for slow parts of the lecture either. The best part, however, is the fact that they never add anything to their cart or proceed to checkout. They just scroll for an hour and 20 minutes, occasionally point something out to their friend for their opinion and go about their day when class is over. As the onlooker, you also find that you missed most of the lecture because you were too busy thinking about the clothes that this student was looking at. If any guys think they’re exempt from this, searching for shoes, electronics or building fantasy teams is essentially the same thing.

3.) The disputer
This person usually doesn’t make an appearance until later in the semester when the weight of all their assignments comes down on them, and they simply are not taking anything from anybody. They will talk about how they haven’t learned anything in the class and feel unprepared for the midterm. They are the ones who raise their hand and say, “We never talked about that,” or “that wasn’t on the syllabus,” or “that wasn’t on Blackboard.” We secretly love these people though because we’re either thinking the same thing, or it results in things getting moved around by a class vote.

4.) The participators
There are three types of participators. First, there is the person who thinks, “I am the smartest in the room.” This person will speak just for effect. They will comment on things that require no commentary, raise their hand before the professor is even done making a point and are prepared for a disagreement should they believe their point of view is being challenged. The pretension fills the room, but this person brings a little flavor to the class because no one can anticipate what new things they have to say, even when you think they’ve said it all.

There’s also the participator who just likes the sound of their own voice. This person also speaks for effect, but often doesn’t yield the effect they’re hoping for. You know the people who say a lot, but don’t actually make a point? They have a habit of saying a lot of nothing or reiterating the same point the person before them made, and the professor always responds with a long “yeah” and a lot of nodding. You sort of admire this person though because they never lose their courage to participate, and they’re one step ahead of you in the comfortable-with-public-speaking race. Third, there’s the student who just needs points for participation. This is pretty self-explanatory.

5.) The floater
These people just kind of exists in class. The majority of the class falls into this category, especially if this is a class where they know absolutely no one. They are somewhere between a slacker and a participator. They’ll chime in if they feel absolutely necessary but will otherwise browse on their laptop and occasionally write notes if something isn’t on the PowerPoint. In the event of a group project, they aren’t particularly eager to find a group, but also know that they have to temporarily subside their social awkwardness to fall into a nearby group (unless there’s an option to work solo, of course). This person reminds us that we are not alone in the, “I just want to get through this class,” struggle once or twice a week.

6.) The defender of USC
These people will only abide by the USC academic schedule. This means nothing can interfere with university holidays, major on-campus events or, most importantly, football games. They are not too shy to vocalize how assigning something during a weekend where most people will be gone or participating in a USC event will not only inconvenience the students, but the professor as well. Not many people really feel strongly about this, but they also don’t object to the potential of getting an assignment moved or removed altogether. Thank you, fellow Trojan!