University students: too soon?

A friend of mine recently e-mailed me an article about the maturity level of University students I would like to elaborate on. During my 4 years at King College in London, Ontario, I couldn’t believe how many students would unabashedly engage in conversations during lectures. Putting it mildly, it’s very disrespectful to the teachers and students; especially those students who were working to pay for their tuitions. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know I didn’t plunk down five grand per year to listen to students talk about how “like, drunk they, like, got last weekend, OMG!”

It’s bad enough when people chit-chat in movie theatres and waste my 5 dollars.

I find it perplexing that University enrollment requirements have gone up in recent years, with many students needing to receive at least an 80% average to be considered for post secondary admittance. Wouldn’t it stand to reason that these students would be mature enough to have the willpower to not verbally socialize for an hour or so? Although most of them went about whispering their intellectually profound conversations, what I think they failed to realize is that it’s still distracting. While I’d rather have someone humming in my ear quietly than loudly, both are distracting if I’m trying to pay attention to the person at the front of the room speaking.

I was also surprised at how many educators were either hard of hearing or didn’t care to say anything. I can understand possibly feeling that since each student has paid his or her tuition that they might feel awkward speaking up. However, to the students that don’t waste other people’s time in class, the teacher does a disservice. Go outside and talk where you can converse without the limitations of having to whisper.

Although this is never going to happen, I propose that high school graduates are required to work for at least a couple of years before enrolling in a post-secondary institution. This way, maybe they can have some empathy for those of us who juggle occupational and educational responsibilities simultaneously.