High school teachers tend to discourage socializing among the students in their classes – the groups of rowdy teens sitting in the back row seem to be the bane of their very existence.
These teachers just don”t want a bunch of teenagers talking with their friends while they try to do their job, and that”s understandable. But things change in college.
In college, fewer professors are frustrated when they see that students in their courses are already friends. This is likely because most college students care about their education enough to pay attention during class regardless of whether they know other students, and they don”t goof off. Having friends in class doesn”t encourage us to shoot spitballs or make immature faces at our professors when they turn their backs to us “¦ most of the time.
Erin Bamer
There is still a popular perception, however, that taking classes with friends leads to distractions and takes away from a student”s educational experience. It”s a perception that I”ve never fully understood.
Of the classes I am taking this semester, I know and get along with several of my classmates in most of them. Even though the semester is still young, I”ve already noticed a difference between the classes I have with my friends and the classes where I don”t know anyone.
I enjoy my classes more often when they include people I like to be around. It”s easier for me to pay attention. When I am unfortunate enough to have an early morning class on my schedule, it”s easier to stay awake if I have a friend to make sure I don”t doze. I look forward to the classes I share with my friends.
When students have good relationships with each other previous to the start of a course it”s beneficial to the learning environment for the entire class. Friends can encourage each other to speak up during discussions and can lead to more participation from the rest of the students in the class.
There are few reasons why professors should be against their students actually enjoying each other”s company. To be fair, most professors aren”t against their students being friends at all. However, I do admit there is merit in using tactical judgment when deciding on future courses.
Depending on the type of friendship, certain relationships can lead to distractions and degrade the learning experience of a class rather than improve it. In those cases, students should save the interactions with those friends for time spent outside of the classroom. But these cases are rare at a university because every student has a bigger reason for being here. It boils down to the attitude a student has going into the class.
Pursuing a higher education alongside friends just makes the entire process of learning more enjoyable. If the topic of the class is interesting or the friends in question are passionate about the subject matter, it can enhance the experience and provoke discussions about relevant topics when class isn”t in session. Already this semester I”ve talked with some of my friends about our shared courses outside of class hours on multiple occasions.
But then again I am a nerd, which means most of my friends are bigger nerds.
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ErinBamer