Irritating Classmates

Nursing Students General Students

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I know we've all seen the threads about those classmates that makes us want to stick a knife in our head, but I'm at wits end at this point. We're only halfway through the program, but the amount of noise, drama, and childishness from some of them is giving me headaches.

There's the girl that has a question every three minutes who also has the family member who has had every known disease. She's also the one who has always says, "Ok, I thought the book said _________ so on the test what's the answer going to be?"

There are the two girls that think they're cool and in some kind of reality show but actually come across as spoiled, overly needy brats like the trash you'd see on Jersey Shore. They're the loud ones that always have to comment in manners such as "WOW, OMG, or WOAH." They actually say the letters O, M, G.

Finally, there's the girl who thinks we're all a close knit group who is seemingly unaware of the cliques and factions going on. She's our designated classleader who doesn't lead. I'm not sure why a school program needs a student leader, but that's an issue I can't change I suppose.

I've been yelled at, cursed out, spit on, and fought with, but the amount of drama that I mentioned above is far worse than anything I ever experienced from drunks and crackheads on the streets. I know people are diverse, but I can't even stand going to class anymore because it all needs to be reigned in.

Well, I just found out that I am one of the "irritating classmates". I didn't think I was but to some, I am. We are in class for 6 hours Tuesdays and Thursday. I ask some questions to stay awake and I like to get a good laugh out of the instructor every now and then. Don't mean to come off as irritating.....

I don't think anyone has problems with asking questions. What is uncouth, however, is to do nothing but ask questions. I mean geez if you're like the first girl I mentioned you could just use Google and get 80% of it.

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

The worst ones usually get weeded out -- either in school or on the job. No one wants to work with them.

But a few will make it through and be your colleagues for the rest of your career.

... just giving you fair warning.

There is nothing wrong with asking questions... but sometimes this girl asks literally every couple of minutes. It seems like the instructor can't get in five minutes of lecture without this girl raising her hand. It's acutally very distracting. Plus, she always has some antedote to go along with whatever is being discussed or she asks quetions that may or may not relate to a certain something someone she knows has!!! Ugh... I get so frustrated sometimes and I know I'm not the only one. I can almost see our instructor gritting her teeth when she spots this student's hand in the air. If you are like this student, ask the very important questions, chances are you are probably not the only one thinking it... all that fluff stuff though, save it for break or send it in an email to the instructor. For me it's kind of like classroom etiquette.

Oh God, you must be in my class.

We have three that sit there and just repeat everything the instructor says and then go "Is that what you mean?" Shut up already. She just said that and repeating it doesn't make you look smarter just because your "participating".

Then there's the guy that sits up front and mumbles 300 questions during lecture. The instructor answers them but we have no idea what she's talking about because we can't understand what he asked.

There's the girl who was like 10 minutes pregnant when she started having to take breaks in clinical to eat something every fifteen minutes and refused to pick up anything heavier than a band aid because she didn't want to have a miscarriage.

And worst of all the guy whose uncle is an anesthesiologist at the local hospital which he seems to think makes him a physician by default. Insists on wearing his lab coat to clinicals and won't correct anyone if they refer to him as "doctor".

Ugh, I cannot wait until this semester is over and I am finally done with all this foolishness!!

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Ha. Actually, when she told me that I was leaned back in my chair, gripping the edge of the desk, tapping my fingers on it, with an apparent scowl, lol.

Today I went "OH GOD" As soon as this one girl started speaking. The girls 2 rows back started laughing from my comment. YIKES I didn't realize I said it so loud!

I noticed the cliquey-ness that developed during my year of LPN school. At first, everyone got along pretty well, but after a few months the class started fracturing out into different cliques. I'm 24, and was one of a small handful of younger students (under 30) and because I'm kind of quiet and super (probably bordering on OCD) studious, I got the feeling that some of the younger chicks in my class didn't care for me that much. Also, a few of my classmates, old and young alike, would sometimes make snotty comments to/about me, such as, "Kittah ALWAYS makes 100's on everything" and crap like that. I didn't always make 100% on every exam - I busted my REAR studying and that's why I always did well academically. Don't burst into tears because you failed the exam on Monday when you posted pictures of yourself clubbing and drinking all weekend on Facebook. Just sayin'. :-P

It seemed like the younger students in my class were also the ones that would try to brown-nose our instructors, as if the instructor hadn't been around the block more than once and couldn't see through it. lol.

But as someone else said in this thread, you're in nursing school to become a nurse, not make friends and socialize. But unfortunately, when you have classmates whose personalities do grate on your nerves, it's difficult to avoid them because of the nature of nursing school, having to see each other 5 days a week. Towards the end, I could really feel the tensions flowing in our class - people snapping at each other, etc.

Wow! I would hate to be in these types of situations. Stories like these make me appreciate that I'm in an evening nursing program...where all us "older folks" are in. The youngest in our class just turned 21 on Monday, and I think the rest intimidate her, so she stays quiet. Out of 24 or so students, there are 4 guys, more than in my microbiology class last semester. lol.

Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

THe one that has a family member with every disease....we had a girl like that. Until one day a girl in our class would interject right when she would talk with "my cousins uncles roommates nephews sister had that and didnt have blah blah blah" Only took 3 times for the other girl to realize and to shut up

Also, a few of my classmates, old and young alike, would sometimes make snotty comments to/about me, such as, "Kittah ALWAYS makes 100's on everything" and crap like that. I didn't always make 100% on every exam - I busted my REAR studying and that's why I always did well academically. Don't burst into tears because you failed the exam on Monday when you posted pictures of yourself clubbing and drinking all weekend on Facebook. Just sayin'. :-P

YESSIR! :D

like we're supposed to be ashamed of our good grades or something (I simply stopped telling people what I made, I just tell them I passed)

Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

Part of this is a classroom management issue. As an instructor, I insist that class time not be dominated by any one person. Those who feel the need to share every anecdote, fleeting thought, and opinion are asked once nicely (in private) to not dominate class time and confine to e-mail any important issues. These are also the students who want to "pop in for a 'quick' question" several times each day; often these questions could easily be answered using their own efforts, such as asking "What day is the test?"

After the one polite request to refrain, this must be stopped. It is not fair to others to have class time taken up by irrelevant anecdotes or to have discussion monopolized by questions that were already answered. There is always at least one person who is so busy thinking of important family stories that they don't listen, then ask a question that I've just answered.

I care about the education of all my students, so I must set limits with some of them.

YESSIR! :D

like we're supposed to be ashamed of our good grades or something (I simply stopped telling people what I made, I just tell them I passed)

Yeah.. I'm not one to brag, but I initially indulged classmates who would ask what grade I got on a test. Of course, then I'd get snotty looks. I eventually just started telling them that I "did well" or "passed." It's none of anybody's business what your grades are anyway - it's rude of them to ask in the first place, to be honest.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

We've got the story-for-every-disease girl, and the party-the-night-before-the-test-then-complain-about-said-test girl, and the I-know-everything-because-I-worked-in-such-and-such-department girl, and we have the Facebookers and email answerers during lecture with the click, click, click of their keyboards. We also have the eyerollers and the "I'm too mature for all of you" people.

I think we all got on each other's nerves the first semester, but now that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, we are closer now, and we make fun of each other's quirks. If you don't let it get to you too much, have a sense of humor about it, and are willing to just accept people for what they are, it's a lot less stressful. :) Hell, even the professors know what "type" we are, and because we've laughed so openly about it, it's not unusual to have a professor or two poke fun at us, too.

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