It’s becoming apparent that we students suffer from a bit of stage fright.

Throughout college, one can notice how many people are petrified of speaking during class time.

Even when people do muster up the courage to speak, they rarely engage in conversation with the instructor.

However, regurgitating a passage from the textbook will usually suffice. This behavior is somewhat understandable in a general education class since the student has little knowledge of the subject.

But there’s hardly an excuse in an upper level course. Once a major is decided, it’s up to the student to become immersed in the material.

Upperclassmen are falling into the same habits they had during their freshman and sophomore years.

The problem is that this lack of participation within the classroom only leads to a less informed student.

While it is imperative for a student to make the most of their education, there are some unavoidable factors that promote this behavior.

First of all, our classrooms are packed.

The closing of Cole Hall has only worsened this problem.

Obviously it’s going to be impossible for an instructor in a larger class to give everyone the same amount of attention as in a smaller class.

A student can easily blend into the mass of people surrounding them. This brings me to my next point.

There’s a saying that people fear three things the most: death, tax time and public speaking.

Many people are terrified of looking foolish when speaking.

This initial fear of speaking in class is only amplified by the amount of students within the class.

The more students, the less likely people are willing to become an active participant.

“I always get a little nervous when speaking in class,” said Kim Schalz, a junior Spanish major.
“It’s funny how we have to take COMS 100 and we’re supposed to suddenly lose our fear of
speaking.”

While public speaking can appear to be a daunting task, it’s important to take that plunge and become a better student.

Something to remember is that all people make mistakes.

Nobody is going to remember or care if another student makes a mistake in class.

“Sitting up front is a great way to force yourself into participating. Also, if you sit up front, you might feel less self-conscious since people aren’t in your immediate field of vision,” said
Andrew Sawyer, senior psychology major.

Another tip is to avoid abusing PowerPoint.

There are two ways students usually do this.

The first involves students furiously scribbling down everything they see on the slide and completely ignoring the lecture itself.

Another form of abuse is relying solely on PowerPoint rather than lecture. Ditching class and getting the slides off of Blackboard may seem appealing, but there’s always something valuable to obtain in class.

“PowerPoint can be both a blessing and a curse. In order to avoid negative consequences, it’s best to use PowerPoint as a tool for studying rather than a crutch,” senior philosophy major Clara Fourcade said.

College is a great place to meet new people and have fun, but always remember that we pay thousands of dollars in order to get this opportunity to improve ourselves.

That is something that definitely should not be wasted.

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