Location, Location, Location

It’s the first day of classes. Your outfit fits your style, your books and binder are all ready to go, your schedule is printed out, and then you walk into your first class and that is where the big decision comes into play.

I have witnessed and experienced this quandary every since high school and college seems to be no different. 

Believe it or not, there is a strategic thought process that goes on during that first 20 seconds of walking through the door of your class. The thought provoking dilemma you are faced with… where to sit?

Positioning is everything. You learn this in every aspect of your life. Where to position yourself in a board meeting, where to stand at a party, where to place things for various occasions, again, it all comes down to positioning is everything.  There is no exception to this rule when it comes to the classroom.

Sit too close and you appear to be one of two types of people; an overachiever or a class clown. In addition to the labels that apply to this section of the room another effect to consider is the neck ache you will have after looking up at the board for over an hour.

Sit too far back and you are saying one of three things; either “I’m cool and don’t want to be here all that much”, “I’m a class clown”, or “I’m trying desperately to not stand out or be noticed”. The majority of people you will hear from during the semester will come from this section of the room.

The dead center and middle of the room is simple, you are trying to blend in. Your reason for being there is unknown and not pointed out, you just sit down and do your thing whether that be learning, joking, sleeping, whatever. This is where the other majority of the comments you will hear during the semester will come from. This is even ground here.

Front, back and middle are not the only sections to decide where to sit however. The second row says a lot too. It’s not quite the front but not the middle by any means. The second row says, I’m not the front row but I am here to learn. From my experience, this is the best place to sit. It is a neutral blend between front and middle. Here you can show your knowledge and that you are there to learn, while you are still free to make funny remarks and comments without feeling like the class clown. You can stand out but blend in all at the same time.

Really it doesn’t matter what class it is or how many people you know or don’t know in the class. At the end of that first 20 seconds it all comes down to one thing; it’s all about positioning.