As a fresher here at Leeds uni, I can safely say that the stuffy, windowless, life-sucking lecture theatre is an environment unlike any other I’ve experienced before. One that has the potential to be a room full of eager, information-hungry students turns, in reality, into a scene you might expect to find during naptime at a nursery. Maybe the lecturer’s monotonous voice can be held accountable or their usual decision to dim the lights. I have discovered the lecture theatre to feature a recurring group of five characters, each time I decide to grace my life with a two hour PowerPoint presentation…
1. The Hangover Sufferer
Surrounded by empty packets of Pro Plus tablets and cans of knock-off energy drink (this character is of course on a student budget) the standard hangover sufferer could easily be mistaken as an extra from Shaun of the Dead. They tend to be in a slumped, sprawled-out position across the desk, whilst sporting red bloodshot eyes, last night’s makeup and a questionable put-together-in-the-dark outfit. This character can also be identified by the sound of snores and a subtle waft of cheap cider. As a location probably featured in the top five worst places to be on earth with a hangover, it certainly doesn’t help the hangover sufferer when the lecturer decides to dim the lights in the room; they may as well just have stayed in bed.
2. The Late Arrival
Yes, it was acceptable to be slightly late during Fresher’s Week – especially in a maze-like building such as Roger Stevens here at Leeds – but seven weeks in, lecturers now tend to direct a death-stare towards anyone who attempts to sneak in midway through. Wouldn’t life be just a little bit easier if lecture theatres were designed with the door at the back? Needless to say it would save us from the embarrassment of the ‘lecture walk of shame.’ My advice? If it’s a two-hour slot then just wait until the ten-minute break that some of the more generous lecturers reward us with, before entering.
3. The Social Media Addict
Sometimes taking a laptop to lectures is a bad idea. As a social media addict myself, I tend to stick to pen and paper to avoid any distractions caused by Facebook and Twitter. Some however, make the deadly mistake of spending the majority of the lecture scrolling mindlessly through their Facebook feeds. But it doesn’t just stop at the laptop, oh no, because this is where the smartphone comes into play as well. Here we meet Snapchat, because of course a picture speaks a thousand words – the first of these being ‘I’m bored in a lecture,’ ‘I have no idea what my lecturer is talking about,’ and most commonly: ‘I wish I was back in bed.’
4. The Stationary Obsessive
Although a rare stereotype of the lecture theatre, these characters stand out the most. Just look out for the huge pencil cases filled with pens and highlighters in colours you never knew even existed, pig and dog shaped pencil sharpeners, the kitchen sink and the garden shed. They also tend to be the last to leave the lecture theatre, due to filing work away properly in colour-coded folders and plastic sleeves. This is something I know I can’t identify with, my notepad is my folder!
5. The One Who Listens
While I break into a sweat in a panic to take down notes before the slide changes in what seems to be my weekly workout, I always notice the somehow relaxed individual who just sits and well… listens. How one can retain all the information being thrown at us without writing anything down, I do not know.
So there we have the top five stereotypical characters you can find in a lecture – I’m sure you’ll agree it’s definitely a mixed bag. Have you noticed one of these? If not, then it’s pretty likely you’re one of them…
Image Sources:
1) http://blog.joshmcculloch.com/2007/10/mac-vs-pc.html
2) http://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2012/oct/09/students-beware-sleep-deprivation
Charlotte Buckley