question for students: are people obnoxiously competitive in your classes?

[jdj]

I started at a local community college a couple months ago, and these folks in my classes are unbelievable. It's a paralegal program, but they act like it's nuclear science or something.

They get mad if anyone asks questions, answer questions that you ask the teacher, and are downright insulting. I'm tripping on this, when I was in college the first time, I don't remember it ever being this way. I asked my sister about it (she is perpetually having to get tech. certifications for her job) and she said she had never had a class like this. I am bummed about it, it is so weird.

[KitchenWitch]

1. I think the environment in a lot of colleges is that way these days

Someone needs to tell these people, that no one asks for your GPA after you graduate and get a job.

[jdj]

2. yes, this is the straight A students doing this.

the people that make Cs keep quiet.

But this is a community college. I didn't think anyone would give a damn. My sister says she has NEVER had a class like this, and she is in all these really hard computer classes, alot of times she is the only woman.

[Jamastiene]

6. It's the opposite in my community college.

The C students will stoop to any level to knock someone else out of the loop if at all possible (read my other post). The A students give them the answers and get harrassed by them the rest of the time. I can't imagine the A students as competitive. What are we supposed to do? Purposely fail tests? Answer homework questions wrong on purpose if we know the right answer? Lay down and die?

In my community college though, the teachers will give the failing students a higher grade in lab just to make sure they pass for putting in the effort. There is no need for anyone to compete in that kind of environment. It's ridiculous.

Maybe you should resort to what my tormentors do to me. I can just let you know about the latests harrassment and you can copy it. Maybe that'll intimidate them into making B's and C's instead. I can attest to the fact that it makes things incredibly bad on an A student to have all that going on. It makes it so we have a harder time making the grades and even makes us think about quitting until a new crew of C students comes along to finish up hopefully later. I've had to visit a therapist over it.

[Lucky Luciano]

3. GPA matters for grad/professional schools

It also matters in certain industries. I am interviewing at some trading desks and hedge funds right now - you better believe my academic credentials matter! I am interviewing in quantitative analytics - all math/physics phds pretty much. At a cross market arbitrage desk for Deutsche bank, I was asked:

Suppose 100 people are going to board Air Force One and say the plane has 100 seats. George Bush is the first to board. Everyone has a ticket and a seat assignment on their ticket. The trouble is that since Bush cannot read, he just boards the plane and sits randomly. All subsequent people sit in their assigned seat - unless Bush had chosen theirs. In this case, the person who should be sitting where bush is has no guts to tell him to move to the correct seat, so he just sits in a random seat as well. This process continues where people either sit in their assigned seat or sit randomly if displaced. You are the last person to board the plane. What is the probability that you sit in your assigned seat?


I got this one in the interview and it impressed the guy! It is not too bad if you sit at home and work it out, but it is different when the guy is staring at you demanding an answer ASAFP.

So, not only might they want your GPA, they might really put your feet in the fire to quiz you on your knowledge!

[sasquatch]

4. I once had a instructor tell me that he didn't need to call on me in class

I can't help it, It was 1900-modern day American History. I could sleep through that course it was such cake.

[Jamastiene]

9. I had one tell me to shut up when he asked a question.

I said fine and started goofing off during the Q & A part of class. Consequently, the teachers never call on me any more and I get to explore my creative side. I have finally quit attempting to answer altogether. It doesn't even bother me any more although, at first, it did.

[Jamastiene]

5. Yes they are.

And they will do anything, and I mean ANYTHING, to get the grades without doing the work, including stealing exams and paying someone else to do the work. They kiss up to the teachers and then turn around and claim that the ones who sit at the front of the class and put in the necessary time to get the good grades are brown nosers and I've been called "teacher's pet" so much that it doesn't even phase me any more. Thing is, I am in college more to learn about things I am interested in than to compete with anybody. I'm fairly smart so I don't feel the need to compete with anyone. The other students seem to sense this and do the most junior high level immature things to me. They throw paper at me during class and all sorts of things. It's almost to the level of being bullied, just like high school was for me. My question is why do other students hate the students like me, when I am the one who helps them with homework AND lab work. I have finally learned to make myself scarce nowadays when homework is due precisely because I know they will sweet talk me out of the answers and then torment me the rest of the time. They are assholes for doing that to their cash cow, if you ask me. They haven't won me over acting that way. If anything, they have made me suspicious of their motives no matter what they say to me.

[Lucky Luciano]

7. very easy

Give them the wrong answers! :evilgrin:
That ought to shut them the fuck up.

I wonder if the other students feel contempt for you because you are too much of a pushover. Do not be nice to people that do not deserve it. When you are overly nice to such people, it is hard for them to think of any word other than "sucker."

There are plenty of brilliant people that get a lot of respect - even while they are young...Increase your confidence, don't take anyone's shit, and never be a pushover!

:)

[Jamastiene]

8. I've done that.

After an experience I had one evening that really irked me, I finally started doing something to put a stop to some of it. I had another student come up to me, grab my book, open it, and copy my answers onto a blank sheet of paper and turn it in. He never once asked or said thank you. He even acted irritated with me when I said something about it. After that little incedent, I started with the making myself scarce bit and quit writing the answers in the books. From that day on, I decided I'd use my brain to think of new ways to avoid the humiliation of it all. So far so good. I am close to the end of this part of college. I will no longer be seeing this bunch when I start into engineering in the summer semester. Believe it or not, that was incredibly hard for me to accomplish.

[SarahB]

10. Sometimes, but it doesn't matter.

I am smarter than they are. :7

[Dastard Stepchild]

11. Some programs are more competitive than others....

My hunch would be that a paralegal studies class may be more competitive, than say, an English 101 class. The job-related coursework tends to have more students that fall into the competitive category, but I have sat in on some sociology classes that got rather heated. Seems like there are always a few in every classroom that either want to monopolize the discussion, roll their eyes at the engaged students or impose their "intelligence" on others.