Is this going to be on the exam?

Remember that one kid in your class as an undergrad who would arrive on the day of the exam and start a conversation about the upcoming exam with another student to only proclaim to anyone listening that they “had not studied at all for the exam” and that they “didn’t care how they did.” This kid is trying to act tough but the first student who asks a question about the exam material immediately throws the non-studier into a whirlwind. Out come the notes and there is a hint of fear in their voice. (For the record, I am guilty of being that guy that says “oh the exam wasn’t that difficult” and “I wasn’t that worried” when really, as all of my friends know, I studied for hours on end but not late into the late because of course I was in bed by 11pm and up by 6am).

One of many favorite things about graduate school is that many of the same types of students are still there. You would think that now that these students have finished their undergraduate degrees and have the foundation of a fledging career that the worries that pushed these reactions as undergraduates would die and school could be more enjoyable with less of a focus on grades and a greater interest in learning for its own sake. Nope, nothing has changed. The array of student types and reactions are just the same as at undergraduate level. The types are easy to point out. As an undergraduate, the students who arrived early were always the most studious, not necessarily the brightest, but usually the biggest nerds who were often ideal to have in your group for a group project because they would complete their work early and always try to do more than their fair share (basically that’s me). The only difference between undergraduate students and graduate students is that the graduate students will arrive to class earlier due to the timing of class compared to the end of the work day. Or how about those students who arrive to class, unpack their computer, and then proceed to browse ESPN’s website or Perez Hilton’s website for an hour (Yes, I watched a student do this). In a MBA program, the only difference is after the checking these those sites, the students then go to check their stock portfolio and shake their head in disgust as they mutter to themselves “what is my broker doing?” or give a little smile when their portfolio rose and whisper to the person next to them “cash money bitches.” Then of course, there is the person that no one likes but loves to tell stories about after class, the person who asks excessive, unnecessary questions. These students find it necessary to ask questions with the most obvious answers but their best attribute is timing. These students impeccably find it worthwhile to ask the professor a question that requires the longest, most-drawn out answer just as the professor has finished covering the material for the class and it appears that the class might be let out early. These students are more often than not clueless about the class regardless which just makes their obscure question that much more perplexing. In graduate school, where leaving 10 to 15 minutes earlier means that much more after a three hour class, there is no difference, these students still have the most impeccable timing with random questions.

Students will be students so it is not a surprise that things don’t change. I can only hope that I don’t have to see any more UGG boots in class but of course, it is only November.