When the quarter first started, you were exploring trendy bubble tea houses with your friends and now it’s already finals. You’ve ditched the makeup and now you’re begging your professor for extensions – and not in a sexy way. If you aren’t doing that by week eight, you’re either a smarty pants, rich enough that you can afford to retake classes, oblivious to that fact that you can’t afford to retake classes, or expelled because you did beg for an extension in a sexy way. Either way, the second half of the quarter is tough. At some point, you might sit down somewhere and the exhaustion of the never-ending journey will hit you . But, there to save you from total insanity and storybook tragedies are your classmates. Classmates come in a variety of charming personalities, some less fun to be around than others. I mean, the last thing you need is an annoying classmate that makes the quarter-long journey feel even slower.
We’ve all had one. From the heavy breathers to hardcore tablet tappers that make you wonder if something inappropriate is going on in the library. Whether unintentionally or intentionally, they seem to always be distracting you from making your academic and career dreams come true. Here are some ways I deal…
1. Ignore It
If some kid is frustrating you in your six-person class, sometimes it’s best to remove yourself from the situation. Physically, you could take a walk when the professor calls for break. Mentally, you could think about something positive, like how well you’re doing in a certain class or your other projects you have going on (I mean, ain’t nobody got time for annoying people to take up mental space). Personally, I like to browse on my iPhone for gifts I’d buy my friends.
2. Be Kind
SCAD is not a large school and your reputation matters here. Think about yourself and your brand. Would Rebecca, the cute girl who wears chevron patterned dresses to her 8 a.m. and has pastel branding all over her Twitter, attack Jeffery with a chainsaw? No. She wouldn’t. So keep your cool and offer your classmate a piece of gum.
3. Talk to the Professor
The difference between your 52-year-old dad and your 52-year-old professor is that your professor has control over the class you’re taking. If another student is genuinely impacting the quality of education you’re receiving on a regular basis, meet with your professor during his or her office hours and discuss your concerns.
Your classmates are human just like you and remember to make sensible decisions, regardless of how rough your quarter is going. One day your annoying classmates will be your annoying coworkers, and learning to deal with the irritating type now will make the office journey feel like a cake walk around the cubicles.
Remember, it is the end of the quarter, try not to let little stuff get you down. For more tips on dealing with various classmate types, check out Wiki-How‘s article.