I am the type of student who ALWAYS sits at the front of the classroom or in the front row. I show up to the first day of class early and claim the specific spot I want. However, I am not the only one who does this. I find that no matter how early I get there or which spot I have my eyes on, there are always students who have also claimed their seats. I can only assume that they have their reasonings just as much as I have mine.
After years of sitting in the same spot in any given lecture hall, I decided to try the complete back of the room at the end of the row. The last spot in the lecture hall. What I learned was something unexpected. I learned why people choose different spots in the room and what it says about them. In turn, it shows what my choices have said about me.
Front and Center
I have always chosen this spot as my top choice. The position comes with some inherent advantages. No one sits in front of you, you can always see the board, you can always hear the professor, and it is an incentive to pay attention. But what does it say about you should you choose to sit there? It says straight-up power move. It lets everyone else in the class know that you are READY to take notes, you are ready to ask questions, and you are ready to explain a concept from the reading that no one else did. You probably also think that it makes the professor notice you and know who you are (they probably don’t care). It points to a student ready and eager to learn. A student who is always prepared with questions, the Type A personality of the group.
Right in the Middle
Finding someone sitting in the middle means two things. They want you to know they were there early, but they don’t necessarily plan on paying attention in class. They take their notes in very vague bullets on a Google doc (sometimes shared between three people across the row), but in the meantime have another tab open as they online shop or scroll through Twitter. Choosing this spot in the classroom says that you are the type of student who is ready to focus in order to pass the class but is actually dreading being there. An average student, the Type B personality of the group
Back of the Pack
People in the back of the class are always trying to catch up on one of four things: Netflix, Twitter, sleep, or other homework. These are the people who are not concerned at all with learning the class material or adding anything to the discussion. This spot is chosen by anyone who is late or looking for a guaranteed low expectation from everyone else. You can pretty much count on that if you sit in the back of the class that no one cares what you do. The people who sit here are laid back, tired, and looking for an excuse to leave.
The Lone Desk
I don’t know why, but every lecture hall seems to have a random lone desk somewhere in the room. Without fail, someone will always sit there. These people just really don’t want any human interaction or any conversation. They are the people screaming, “Do not under circumstances ask if the empty seat next to me is taken.” They want to be left alone to take their notes so they can pass the class and move on. These are the types of people likely to ask to do a group project on their own, the independent student.
The Round Table
Even when not in a lecture hall, your seat choices say a lot about you. The spot right next to the professor is equivalent to the front-row student. The other end is equivalent to the middle of the pack bunch, and the isolated desks behind the table are the back row/lonely desk folk.
These are very large generalizations of what I have observed during my time sitting at the back of the classroom. Just because you sit in one of these spots does not necessarily mean anything. Maybe it was just the only seat that didn’t creak every time you moved. Either way, it is interesting to see what other people see when you sit in a certain spot.
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