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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Majors

It's funny how what your major is had a lot to say about what kind of person you are. This is my fourth (and last) semester at FAU and so far, I've experienced a specific group of majors. Most of the people in the classes I take are around the same major. And when I look at each major, there are certain trends exhibited not only by the major, but by each class. I'm an observer. My dad says that I'm always scanning a room, making mental notes about things. Every class you take has a few different type of people that you can usually stamp out right from the beginning. I'm going to outline each major and outline each character that you GENERALLY find in every class (usually more commonly in any of the arts or humanities courses).
Music Majors: People who are music majors are usually fit in 3 different categories. The first category would be the mellow, low key person who is nevertheless passionate but still find a way to reign in their passion for the classroom. When they choose to speak in class, it's usually well meditated and indicative of their knowledge of their field. The other type of music major is the passionate, outwardly expressive person. This person tends to have something to say about everything that the professor says. Not to say that they are not brilliant, as many music majors have to be in order to last through the vigorous course study, but not everything that comes out of their mouth is well thought out and coherant. They usually take quite a long time to answer a question and tend to fill it with unnecessary information that does not pertain to the question. The 3rd type of person is the music major who is just a little bit out there. A little spacey and quirky. When they say something, you may not know exactly how to interpret that and you may generally have a quizzical look on your face when listening to them talk or trying to understand something they are saying.
Theatre Majors: With the exception of a few people, theatre majors are usually crazy. They usually exhude passion and (not to be tongue-in-cheek) a dramatic flair. Some characteristics of a theatre major would be expressive movements, passion, emotional responses to the content being discussed, and an unnecessary need to be loud and vocal about all topics. Participation is very rarely lacking in the class and the professor usually doesn't have a hard time getting the class to interact with each other and the topic being discussed. The things I love about history majors are their passion and zeal for life. They are not boring and when you are in a class that is not primarily constructed of theatre majors, they add a fun spice to the class.
History Majors: History majors can be 2 types of person. As much as I love history, I have a hard time dealing with the first type of person. The first type is the very opinionated, knowledgable, has read every book on the topic, kind of person. They have something to say about everything and it's usually their very strong opinion. They like to argue with you if you have something to say that is different than their own opinion, and it usually involves a "you're wrong". When this kind of person talks...I don't really listen...at all. The other type is the majority of history majors in that they are knowledgable but not proud. They may be either outspoken or quiet, but usually have something good to say. They are easy to work with in groups and are willing to help others.

Sociology/Psychology Majors: These kids are usually the most down to earth. Generally because someone with this major, with the exception of those who actually want to be psychologists or sociologists, has accepted this major because they need to get a college degree in something and figure that this would be a good one. The same thing goes with a lot of communication and business majors. These people usually don't have a specific kind of personality. Unless provoked by the professor, they remain pretty quiet. They are diligent note takers though. They do pay attention to what the professor is saying and mostly do the readings that are assigned.

Class Characters- Everyone a class that has certain personalities in them, no matter what their major is. You can pick them out by the first week.

That really annoying lady: This one is usually one of the oldest people in the class. They are VERY vocal and have something to say about almost everything that the professor says. Their usually pretty loud, both in the way they speak and in the way they laugh, because you know everything that they and the professor say is funny. They sit in the first or second row and just eat up everything the professor says. Depending on the prof, they like them a lot, mainly because they pay so much attention and engage in conversations with them after almost every class.

That really annoying guy: This guy is just as opinionated at the annoying lady. Not that being opinionated is a bad thing. To this guy, what he has to say is gold, although the other members of the class are usually not as excited to hear what he has to say. He's just that guy that you want to say "Really?...."

The absentee: This is the guy that never comes to class and only shows up when there is a test. They're also the one who sends out the classwide email asking for notes from people because "they couldn't make it to class that day."<---this is not an occurence that happens in every class. It's generally a guy, although there are some exceptions for women, but you can't always point them out. This guy sits in the back, and when he does show up for class, he gripes about how boring this is or their discomfort with the temperature of the classroom. Sleepy: Guy or girl, they can't manage to stay awake. Some of them try and take notes, but others come right in and go to sleep. Smart guy/girl: This person has a strong grasp on the topic and when they raise their hand, it's usually to either ask a contradicting question or answer something that the professor has said. They have a way of bringing a different point of view to the class other than what the professor has to say. The professor either loves them for thinking outside the box and challenging them, or they hate them for just the same reasons. Depends on the professors.

 

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