Ah, college. There’s no doubt that students take tons of classes once they’re at university and going in it’s easy to think all professors are going to act roughly the same and be at an equal caliber. Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Here are six of the professors you’ll encounter during your four plus years — for better, and for worse.
- The one you can’t understand
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So, you get to your first lecture of the semester, sit down and wait for it to start. Punctually, your new professor walks out onto the stage and begins to set up his equipment for the slides. Then, he opens his mouth and starts to introduce himself. You look around and make eye contact with your peers. Uh oh. It’s not like you didn’t know — you obviously looked him up on ratemyprofessor.com and got all the deets. But you didn’t know it would be THIS bad. He has the absolute thickest accent you’ve ever heard. And this is your hardest class, one with a high fail rate. Let’s be real, even with a professor you could understand it’d be a shot in the dark, so you’re really in for it. It feels like you’re in a different country straining to understand not how to do the question on the test, but when that test is actually going to be. Is he saying October or December? Be prepared to ask your neighbors “What did he just say?” after every single sentence.
- The one that’s way too smart to teach the class
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There’s no doubt this professor is brilliant. Heck, somehow, she seems to know every single tiny detail that seems so pointless to literally anything that’s ever existed. Here’s the thing — she speaks, a lot. But somehow nothing she says is making any sense. It’s just a jumble of fancy words. The whole lecture you sit there with a dumb look on your face, trying to absorb even a fragment of what she’s saying. But, alas, 50 minutes go by, and you get nothing from it. You look at your friends next to you and ask if they get it, and every time you hear the same response: “Nope.” Well, same here. Time to watch YouTube videos that are labeled “for beginners” since your prof likes to jump right into the “master’s student” version.
- The one that’s such a dad
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This one is a great professor. You love going to lecture because you know you’re in store for an entertaining one filled with a slew of dad jokes. Yes, they’re bad, but at the same time they are absolutely amazing. This professor really cares about how you do in his class. Not only does he want you to succeed — he wants you to enjoy class and share his love for the subject with you. He tries to inspire you, and you always feel prepared for the next exam since there’s a ton of practice problems, not to mention that the exams are practically the same every semester. Oh, and you go to office hours with this one. When you go, he sips his coffee out of his “Best Boss” mug from The Office and when you’re done talking about physics, you jump into a convo about your plans this coming weekend. What. A. Guy.
- The one that puts you to sleep
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What more can you do? Okay, yes, it’s a power lecture — it’s long regardless — but this is different. This professor drones on for days about this and that in the most monotone and uninterested voice you’ve ever heard. You drank your triple shot coffee right before lecture, like always, but somehow it has no effect. Your head lulls over ten minutes in and you pry your eyes open because you have a big project on this info and need to know what to do — but it’s so hard when every word sounds the same. Sigh. This professor could use some pep in her step. Once her lecture is over, you bolt fast. Free at last!
- The chill one
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This is the professor that sits on a table the whole class while they teach. They walk in a minute after class was supposed to start with their AirPods in and start with, “What’s up, guys?” He is so chill you sometimes ask yourself if he’s real. Oh, he’s real, alright. It’s nice that he grades easy and tells you the exact format of the tests, but you know when you get to part two of the course with the tough professor it’s going to be a shell-shock. Enjoy it while it lasts! And don’t be surprised if he sends you last minute emails about how class is cancelled. Ah, the best emails to get.
- The hilarious one
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And finally, the straight-up comedian. This is my favorite type of professor. Every time you go to lecture, you have no idea what you are in for that day. This professor doesn’t even have to try, everything she says just makes the entire lecture hall cackle with laughter. She got a five on rate my professor and 100% of the people said they would take her class again. Some of the things she says just seem so genius that you have definitely considered going up to her after class and suggesting that she starts her own comedy show. She makes the class memorable, and because of her alone, this is your favorite class you’ve taken yet.
There’s a wide range of professors to encounter on campus. If you haven’t had each of these professors yet, just wait — it’s coming. Cross your fingers you get the good ones, and when you get the not-so-good ones — you’ll get through it. Or drop the course. Your pick!