Of Senior Students
Unlike most students, seniors are a special category. On top of being ‘regular’ students, they generally get quite a few other exams dumped over them, on account of… well them being seniors: you’re grown up now, so we can safely dump another load on top of you without feeling guilty. Isn’t that just great?
Keeping this in mind, it comes as no surprise that some ground rules should be established. Since most people have enough intuition, these are not written down. For those of you unaware, read and remember:
- Thou shall state your request clearly to seniorsSeniors have enough guesswork expecting them at the end of the year, and as such you do NOT offer them more. Your subject is not only not required for their licentiate exam, but it’s also optional.
- Thou do NOT wish to challenge seniorsHaving to re-learn carefully skipped/forgotten (depending on their luck) subjects is challenging enough, without needing more. As a result, unless you’re harboring some sort of death wish (you never know when a voo-doo doll crosses their paths), it is advised not to challenge seniors.
- Thou shall not hold an introductory course which lasts 3 weeks…especially if the exam is not going to include said introduction.
- Thou shall not speak about irrelevant biological developments during said course(s)…not even if the terminology of the course is inspired by this field.
- Thou shall NOT expect answers to unformulated questions…seniors (or any student for that matter) have trouble answering ‘proper’ questions, so don’t torture them unnecessarily; you might piss them off… R-O-Y-A-L-L-Y.
If you feel you’ve put your senior students through all the above, don’t be surprised if your students get restless in the last few seconds of the lecture and answer their phone, and conducting a mock whispered conversation.
No really: we – seniors – don’t find you funny, not even a LITTLE bit.
Elyse
October 23rd, 2006
You tell ‘em! And if they do not abide by these commandments, will they not be allowed into education heaven? LOL!
Let’s not forget about the poor freshman (which I am now that I’ve finally enrolled in college). We have to go through so much more, what with being challenged intellectually and having to hold in our vomit when we’re being challenged because we’re big wusses. I do believe we have to go through a great deal.
I should also mention that I’ve never been a senior, so I cannot sympathize… unless you want me to and threaten to beat me up. Then I will. LOL!
Vera
October 23rd, 2006
Well I meant it as a general 101 thing for senior students (be they high school students or college students)… then again, my high school teachers all seemed to grasp these facts *grumble*
heh good luck with freshman year, that was hard too. Don’t put yourself down that much. I’ve met my fair share of crappy teachers: there are always tutoring sessions which are generally not held by the lecturer, so you might get lucky?
Corinne
October 23rd, 2006
I’m a junior, but I am already feeling the senioritis. It’s hard when your professors are just that boring.
As a senior, I hope to not be challenged lol. I’ll have all electives, so hopefully it will be ok.
Skye
October 23rd, 2006
Rofl. In university here we don’t have any kind of “senior” or “freshman” kind of system… after your first year you can do what anyone else is doing in any year so we don’t really bother, but it’s amazing how similar teaching is all over the world. Introductions that are long, boring and non-assessable, impossible questions and irrelevant facts. I miss studying
Irina
October 24th, 2006
Hey, good luck with freshman, mine’s as well and it doesn’t seem so bad, considering i’m going to change of career
Anyways, good luck with everything..
Nan
October 25th, 2006
Ahh yes – here I am again and before I make a decent comment on your entry I wanted to add that you only have one site linked with a button and that you have a typo in the alt spelling empireus instead of empyreus – God I have too much time on my hands.
I never went to college – the path for me was different so I don’t know how it works really. I know we don’t have the freshman/senior system either – so I guess they just skip that part here and go get drunk together right away.
Liinda
October 25th, 2006
Same with Skye. No one cares if you’re a fish or a senior..not that you can tell anyway, since your classes are full of random people that range from 18+ – 44? xP Your blog was interesting to read though.
Phillip
October 25th, 2006
Those are a lot of rules. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t be happy with thtem either. Good luck with school, it can be a total pain in the ass. TTYL!
Nancy
October 25th, 2006
I’m doing okay other then the fact of having to deal with everything at one time. From dealing with having constant sharp stabbing pains from where my gallbladder used to be & of course they cant do nothing about it till im over the pregnancy. From the pregnancy, Am waiting for it to finally be over. Its not been nice or memorable and its my first one
Along with dealing with crap that goes on, on a daily basis where I am currently staying, Its just down right crappy to dealing with my ex fiance issues. Its like wow, Where do I turn to next ya know. So, I try my best to live day by day and its really hard to. Other then that I keep hoping and praying for the best. Thanks for commenting, I appericiate it and hope all is going well for you on your end! 
Vera
October 26th, 2006
I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you.
And welcome about the comment
Christina
October 26th, 2006
I wouldn’t exactly limit that statement to seniors. I feel that way about the end of every semester, and I only just started my junior year. I hate when professors give you huge assignments just a week or two before finals. Obviously, you’ve got other things to be worrying about. I hate curveballs like that.
Also, thanks for commenting on my blog. I saw that you said something about feeling lucky that your college is in the same town as you, though my college is in the same town as me, too. Where my school is has nothing to do with my current situation, though. Where my parents live, on the other hand…
Vera
October 27th, 2006
oh… I assumed you were living in the dorms…
Then again, I suppose not everyone likes living with their parents
I’d be pretty busted on my own: not allowed to ask for a place in the dorms, and rent is sky high…
Jessica
October 28th, 2006
Nah, i’m kind of used to the army stuff now, it’s just when your watching TV or something and a massive bomber flies over your house and makes this massive noise like thunder and you can’t hear the TV. it’s verry uppsetting.
I’ve felt that too. waking up tierd. it sucks.
♥
Sakura
October 30th, 2006
Hey! Thanks for the comment.
Wow, that blog entry was really good. I’m not a senior myself, but I can see where you’re coming from.
I really don’t know what to do about the whole Firefox thing. I don’t have it, so I can’t change my layout because I don’t if it’ll look ok. Oh well.
Brenda
October 31st, 2006
Hoo boy, I so get you!
That is the reason why I mostly live through classes in a semi-comatose state, and spend most of the time MSN-ing in class especially when I feel something is not relevant.
But err… I am not a senior. At least, not yet.
Heh.
Nile
October 31st, 2006
Wow! It has been 8 years since I was a senior in high school. I entered in the college prep/ advanced placement program, so everything was competitive (the teachers even posts all of the class scores to show the top students.)
I think these are good for those seniors who are not use to study ’til burnout. I admit it was not easy and the college factor as well as sports and other extracurriculars were a huge load, but I never really got senioritis. The duration of my high school years were like a 4 or 5 star restaurant: busy, high pace, and booked year around.
I can however sympathize as I have had friends not at lucky squeak by.
Mall
November 2nd, 2006
Oh wow, lol, now I definitely don’t want to be a Senior. If only I could go back to my Freshman year or the year before, I think I would die of happiness
Lisa Marie
November 3rd, 2006
I’m glad I’m not in school anymore. lol Good luck with the rest of the year. Cool site!
rockme4eva (despair.nu)
November 3rd, 2006
I’ve never read such rules before LOL, but I’m not sure they’ll apply in the high school in where I live. We are different…in a way.
Kimmie
November 3rd, 2006
Update. Rarr.
Mis
November 3rd, 2006
I dropped out when I was sixteen, so I never dealt with the whole highschool senior lifestyle. Sounds like it’s not so much the picnic everyone else plays it up to be.
Vera
November 4th, 2006
@Kimmie: I didn’t have internet for 2 days…
@Mis: High school was a chinch vompard to this: I’m in university.
Laura
November 4th, 2006
At Uni we don’t really have a senior/junior relationship so I guess I can’t understand what you mean.
Vera
November 4th, 2006
@Laura: yeah, I heard that most universities (abroad) don’t have a fixed syllabus for a certain year… more like you need to study this and this during university.
*shrugs* Sometimes I wish it was that way here as well… but, eh I got used to it during the previous 3 years, so one more year shouldn’t be THAT hard to pass.
Nicolah
November 6th, 2006
When I was a senior, I thought I was big shit. Now I look back on it — and I feel stupid.
Laila
November 6th, 2006
OMg I love that and it is so true. Like we don’t already have enough going on senior year. Doesn’t it seem like it goes by way too fast. I am printing these off and taping them to my English teachers door!
[...] Remember my rant on Senior Students? In case you hadn’t noticed, it was a rant specifically geared towards a certain professor. Guess what he came up yesterday morning? After advertising during the whole semester that there will be no other evaluation method other than a project (a really nasty one at that – thanks), he decides that – for some unintelligible reason – his students couldn’t possibly be stressed enough: Professor: Oh… by the way, next week we’ll be having a small written exam during the lecture. Student (aghast): Er… what kind of exam? Professor (airily): Oh you know, nothing to worry about. Just some small general knowledge facts. You know, from what we discussed during the lectures. Everyone looks at the professor aghast. [...]