Is it improper etiquette not to interact with anyone at college?

Question

i just sit there mutely in class at the back of the room and not interact with anyone, is that strange and improper etiquette? What would you think of me if you were in my class?

Answer 1

Not at all... Wouldn't think anything about it if you were quite.. other than you were there to learn and not just party, get laid, drink beer and goof off.

Answer 2

It's not improper, but it sounds lonely.

In the university classes that I teach, I encourage my students to interact with each other and work together as groups on projects. It's true that some people learn better alone, but some people actually learn better when they are collaborating with peers. Also, working in groups with coworkers is part of many careers, so working in groups in school helps students to prepare for the future. You should try it. Even if it's not your preferred way of doing things, if you practice you'll at least be able to do it when the situation arises.

Answer 3

Its not improper but I can gurantee you wont enjoy going to university for three years and never making friends or speaking to anyone. If you were in my class I would think you were either really shy and try to talk to you, upon discovering you may not be shy but just a loser who doens't want to talk to me. Then I would begin to dislike you, spread the word and soon the whole class would think of negative thoughts when they looked at you. I have made heaps of great friends at university but I still think about becoming friends with more people who I think are better than the friends I have now. So yeah try to make some or you'll be consideringjumping off the univeristy bridge very soon.

Answer 4

You need to ask yourself why you are acting this way. Why would you not interact with your peers? This is the best opportunity to learn from others that are in your same situation. Going through whatever fears, etc. that you are going through. If I were in your class I probably wouldn't notice you. There are tons of people that don't talk to others in class but why are you avoiding talking to people? Enjoy the situation that you are given. In the "real world" you stand the chance of being eaten alive because you didn't learn how to interact with others. Break through whatever shell you think you are in and take advantage of the spot you are given.

Answer 5

I wouldn't think any thing at the beginning , perhaps later I would think you would like to be alone for a while but then! I would start thinking that you have a problem , and it is probably series, or if you don't do something about it (which your question indicates that your doing something about it ) can be series.
but you behavior has nothing what so ever to do with etiquette, probably wouldn't disturb the people much , but I would just start to study them to see which one of them are interesting to you, and I am sure their are some interesting students and talk to them, Human being and the behavior of human being to study is fun , Believe me

Answer 6

I would not think one thing or the other. I do not interact much with my classmates and in fact take as many classes online as possible. It was hard in High School to socialize and participate in activities and keep studies straight. I am paying for college, I am in it for education first and foremost. No one thought anything of my silence at all. When I did communicate, they responded and were nice enough, when I didnt, they left me alone. Do what feels right for you.

Answer 7

if you feel like you already have a good enough social life then u don't need to.
if you don't know anyone at college, then u're not making it any easier for yourself. i should know, i've been there, done that. but meeting ppl in the same class is (so other ppl say) beneficial because u can study together or get notes off each other and what not.

Answer 8

I would think you're not getting the most out of college. You'll never really get an opportunity like this to mingle and make friends and contacts. You should view people as contacts that can potentially present you with opportunities and introduce you to people who could influence or enhance your career, relationships, or anything.

Answer 9

Depends on what the class is- some classes require group work. If there's no group work required, who cares? You're paying for your classes and if you'd like to just pay attention to the professor and learn- more power to ya.

Answer 10

The people that do that in High School are the unpopular ones. If you do that in the professional world then you will be unpopular as well, and the easiest person to fire.

Not interacting with people in college is down right suicidal!

- You need friends to be happy, to blow off steam, and to do some activates that you will enjoy. Sure you can do stuff that you enjoy alone, but doing it with friends only increases the joy.
- You need support. College is tough and you can't always make it on your own. The course load is tough and a study group will help a lot. Just talking about the course material with your group will help you learn it, then you can hear other people's opinions, and some of them may have insights that you can't get on your own.
- Sitting in the back of the room and passing the class may work in High School, but it won't cut it in college. You need to hear ALL that the teacher says. They cover their material quickly and most college professors are poor teachers. In High School and below you have to be a trained teacher to face a class. In college your only qualification is that you know the material well, some teachers are only graduate students working in the same field. If you miss a few things in High School, then you can pick it up in the reading or in a later class. If you miss a few things in college, then it will only make the reading harder, and you won't see that material again until the final review session (if you get one) before the test.

Move to the front and get involved in the class. If you approach it with a positive attitude then you will do better. In High School you are required to take some classes, and the teachers have to do their best to get you to graduate. In college, they EXPECT students to fail. If they make their courses as easy as it was in High School then their students won't be prepared for the professional world and the college's reputation will suffer. If the class is easy then it hurts the college. I actually saw a college teacher get fired because he tried to make his class easier. This teacher was well respected; his department had selected the book he wrote as their textbook for the entire department. But, when he tried to drop the standards of the college, they had no choice but to fire him.

You need friends in life to help you get by. You need them the most in college, because it is so tough, and the college only wants to make it HARDER. Friends can get you into trouble; drinking too much, drugs and so on. But, more often than not they help you avoid trouble, and help you get out of trouble when you fall into it. Your old friends and family are far away, even if you go home regularly they are living very different lives. If you can’t go home frequently it will only get worse. The loneliness can really kill your enthusiasm and that will worsen your chance to succeed.

Don’t go it alone. Check the Student Union for club that you might be interested in, meet new people, and don’t hide in your room. Go out on the weekends, a few beers won’t hurt you, and it can draw you into friendships. Join a study group; if you can’t find one then form one yourself. Approach someone after class, someone that you might like to know, and ask them if they are doing well in the class. If they are then ask them if you can study with them. If they aren’t doing well then ask them if you can form a study group so you both will do better. Pick a few people and draw them in. In a really tough class each member can concentrate on one area and rely on the other members of the group to help them with the other areas. You can’t make it through law school without a study group; the workload is just too much. Friendships in college are some of the longest lasting ones, and some of the most important, that you will ever make. If you have friends in your same profession then you might need them later. They will share the tough experience of college with you and know what you are going through. In tough spots they can help you get by. You can ask them for advice and if one of you finds a good job that is looking for more people you can tell each other.

Enjoy college (or it will kill you) and make some friends. A lot of people in your classes are lonely freshman who are away from home and their old friends studying some hard material in a strange environment. You will have a lot in common.