There is this one student in one of my astronomy classes who doesn’t really pay attention to lecture, but he finishes before everyone else on exams. There could be the possibility of him failing class miserably, but he does answer questions even though he was looking at his phone the second before. I’m envious of people like this, but there could be many explanations for this behavior. I’ve asked people on Quora about this, and they said that it is because he has a high IQ. Of course, everything must be explained by some stupid number. I do sit at the same table as him, but I will probably have to move to another table just to ignore his behavior. For the first two lectures of this astronomy class, I didn’t take notes because I thought that since this guy doesn’t take notes, why should I? Should I ignore people like this kid and focus on bettering myself instead? Do I have a chance at being better than this guy at astronomy? I’ve always hated people with this kind of behavior since high school. There was another kid in high school who claimed that he doesn’t study yet he gets the highest grades in AP Chemistry, but I did have the higher class rank and I’m going to the better college.
Yes. Ignore him. It’s not worth your time to worry about how others learn
Run your own race! This isn’t a competition between you and others. This is about you getting the best education you can for yourself. We always told our DD that there will always be people smarter, richer, better looking, etc…Doesn’t matter a hill of beans. Focus on yourself and do what you need to do to succeed. That looks different for everyone.
Yeah, it isn’t a race. Don’t run one. Don’t join one. You are focused on this student like he is focused on his phone.
What percent of students in college should have been handed a diploma on the 1st day of the semester to get them out of universities so others can learn? A lot. Universities should be places where people are engaged in academic endeavors. It’d be great if we could rid schools of those there for the diploma and climbing wall but then how many students would @USC retain? How would they fund their posh dorms? Focus on what you need to contribute and get out of the university experience.
If it makes you feel any better, as a prof, I can tell you that you do get noticed for being a kind and attentive student, even if it doesn’t seem obvious. That student who stares at his phone and doesn’t seem to care about the community of the classroom won’t be getting a good letter of rec, won’t be getting a tip about a great internship, etc. Maybe it doesn’t impact him in this particular class because he’s not a future astronomer, but eventually he will lose important opportunities because of his lack of collegial participation in the community.
Either this kid is super smart and can learn how he does, or he will fail the class.
For most students, concentrating on the class and taking notes by writing them down (not taking pictures) helps you learn better.
You should read the chapters, do the homework, go to office hours of the professor and if you need more help get a tutor.
And seeing the other students taking notes didn’t affect your decision making?
@bopper writes, “Either this kid is super smart and can learn how he does, or he will fail the class.”
I don’t think it’s so black and white. Many students are happy with Bs and Cs in courses outside their majors. Many students believe the phrase “Cs get degrees.” They do just enough to get by. Or maybe they are in a frat or a club that shares quiz answers, so they cheat their way through the material. (It happens. All the time.) The point to me is that the attitude, though common, isn’t professional. Yet this behavior is common in many large institutions (at the CC where I teach, it’s a good day if 1/3 of the students have done the reading or homework). When you are surrounded by students like that, it begins to feel like the norm. It is hard for students like the OP to slog away, being good students, day in and day out, when there seems to be no immediate or visible repercussions for the student with his face in the phone. There are usually repercussions, but they aren’t usually immediate, nor are they visible to other students.
In any case, it is not someone to emulate.