The first day of school is always an enthusiastic yet nerve racking experience. You’ll want to know which students are in your class, if any of your friends are going to be there, what assignments you’ll have to do in the semester and if you will have to purchase any books. But most importantly, you will want to know what kind of professor you will get. The type of professor you will have determines how smooth or rough the next four months will be. So I’ve taken my time to break it down for you and give you a heads up on the types of professors you will encounter on the first day of school. 

The one that goes over the syllabus: 

It’s very frustrating for me to commute for two hours just to sit in a class where all we do is go over a syllabus that just takes about half an hour. That means that I took longer to get to class than I did staying in class and that doesn’t slide with me when you have to wake up extra early and pay a fair amount of money to get there. This professor will go over the syllabus over and over again. They will make it seem like it’s a waste of time if all they do is go over a paper that could have been provided online. But don’t get me wrong, I think it’s important for the professor to go over the syllabus but not do just that, perhaps do a little bit of what the other professors do in the list below.

The one that wants to get the lesson started:

This is probably the worst because you weren’t expecting to start the first day of class with a lecture. Some students didn’t even bother to bring a notebook and pen because they were just not expecting this one. This professor will already have the PowerPoint up and their name on the board before you even step foot in the room. As soon as the class time starts, they will close the door and go straight to the lesson without letting you prepare yourself to settle down. This professor will probably give you homework right away so be prepared.

The one that wants to get to know you:

This type of professor used to give me anxiety every time they would say “okay, find a partner.” Can I sit in my chair before I start to meet my classmates? I haven’t even gotten the chance to take a good look at them, let alone pair up with one. As soon as a professor says it, you will furiously start looking around hoping you can make eye contact with another desperate person crying for help. Eventually, you find one. You’ll start making short one word responses with them. Getting to know your classmates can go either north or south depending on your classmate. I remember playing one lie and two truth in my creative writing class sophomore year and it was definitely laughs all throughout the class time.

The one that wants you to get to know them:

This professor will take up all the class time talking about themselves. Where they came from? How they became a professor? What college is their alma mater? What degree they got? How they travel to campus? What they ate for lunch? You know where I’m going with this. I feel like I’m in a dating contest and they’re trying to impress me. This professor will tell the class their whole life story and by the time the class is almost done, they will ask “okay, now I want to know about you.”

The one that complains:

This professor will walk in and may or may not be late and will already start complaining about not finding parking and how they were lost. I always think it’s funny when all the students are in class waiting for the professor because it’s usually is the other way around. This professor will complain about how some students don’t even have their textbooks or how no one downloaded the syllabus from Blackboard. You can already tell you will have a swell time in the class (insert rolling eyes emoji.)

The one who doesn’t know how to work the computer:

That’s the face this kind of professor makes when they don’t know how to work the computer. This one will get the class laughing but not in a good way. Since we live in an era where technology is advancing and we learned how to navigate and use it first, we are the ones showing the professors how to use it. It’s funny because we are teaching the teachers while it was always the other way around. This professor will obviously not ask for any online homework, everything will have to be hard copy and handed in during class time, not through email. This professor won’t ever use Blackboard.

The one that doesn’t even try:

This professor is so lazy that they didn’t even come prepared to class with a syllabus. They will just ramble on about irrelevant topics and let the students do any activity on their own, collect it and let you leave. Some of them don’t even have a clue what they want to say or do, they’re just sitting behind their desk letting you read off passages or PowerPoint slides. That’s probably not best way to start a class.

The one that’s cool:

This professor will be so funny and laid back that you’ll already know that you’re going to be enjoying this class. You’ll actually look forward to coming to class to have a few laughs and just chill. Everyone will already start becoming friends with the professor.

The one that lets you leave early:

Everyone already loves this professor. No one wants to sit through an entire class that they’re paying for (this is me being sarcastic.)  Although I do get a bit excited when the professor lets us out early, sometimes letting us out too early is a bit of waste, especially for someone like me that commutes from Queens. I definitely get mad having to come all the way to campus just for a few minutes. But for other students, I’m sure they will enjoy this teacher for sure.

The one that lets you leave at the time you are supposed to:

See, this is my type of teacher. They are organized and punctual. They are aware that they are getting paid for the class time and will take full advantage of it. Although I may be tired by the end of the lecture, I’m pleased with the professor taking the time to actually do their job. Of course, not many students will like this professor because they don’t want to stay for the allotted class time. But here’s the thing, they all knew beforehand that that time scheduled is for class time and if you don’t want to commit to the full length of the class, then drop it and change it to one that has fewer hours.