As a college student, I occasionally deal with extremely loud classmates. Everyone knows who they are. These people get excited about anything the class is discussing that day. They are the people who are ready to burst from their seats at 8 a.m. with fun new information about religion or politics, among all the other hot button topics most of us try to avoid, when most of us are just struggling to function so early in the morning. They typically talk over anyone who does not agree with what they have to say and generally dominate the classroom discussion by using hand gestures and irate shouting.
By no means am I quiet, but these people are extraordinarily frustrating. They do not listen to or care to hear what others have to say.
Fortunately, in my time at UW, I have learned how to deal with and ultimately tolerate these people.
The first step is to resist the urge to physically harm them. Fight it. This can be almost impossible, but really, shutting them up is not worth an assault charge, although at the time it might seem more tolerable than listening to them speak.
The next step is listening to what they have to say and assessing if what they are saying is, in fact, valid. Sometimes these people do pop out gems of wisdom that should not be discounted due to the source. Digging through miles of ranting to find these gems may take some effort, but occasionally it is worth it.
If they are not saying anything of merit, work to redirect conversation in a way that is less controversial or frustrating to the person in question. Perhaps pose a question to them in an effort to distract them from their original rant. This usually works best and should be used as frequently as needed to prevent the classroom from drowning in attitude.
If all this fails and the person in question is still ranting, the class is at the mercy of the professor. At this point, it would be most beneficial to keep quiet and pray for class to end.
Unfortunately, loud classmates are a part of the college experience. By using these tips and tricks, they can be tolerated and sometimes even appreciated for all the fun opinions and fuming energy they bring to the classroom.
