Growing up, many of us heard at family gatherings how much more mature we had gotten since our long-lost relatives had last seen us.
We’ve heard about how much we had grown physically and intellectually.

Throughout high school, many of us heard how all the high school drama would end once we got to college and people would become more mature.

However, since entering college, I’ve noticed many of us have not matured as much as we probably should have, including myself in certain ways.

While sitting in class the first half of this semester, I’ve started to realize many college students do not understand the idea of respecting both your professor and your peers.

The constant babbling that occurs in many classes while the professor is lecturing is both distracting to the professor and to others around you. Personally, it frustrates me. Honestly, I may not be paying attention to every word a professor might say or every slide on the PowerPoint they might be presenting, but constant competition with the professor’s voice makes it much harder.

It all goes back to the golden rule of treating others how you would like to be treated. If you were giving a speech, would you want others babbling in the back of the classroom? I know I wouldn’t.

During the required speech class on campus, I was the one who was always extremely nervous to get in front of the class. I dreaded the days I had to give speeches. If people were constantly whispering in the back of the room while I was speaking, my train of thought would be distracted and my speech would look worse than the train-wreck it already was.

I’m sure I’m not alone when I get frustrated with the whispering behind me in class as most professors aren’t scared to say something to those students to get them to be quiet. I don’t need to know about what you’re doing this Thursday or about some boy/girl you’re having issues with. I’m paying a lot of money for an education, not gossip.

After writing or reading about these large-scale house party busts, my view of college students needing more maturity was only strengthened.
Obviously, maturity covers a lot of aspects of life. Many may think of maturity as physical or social maturity, but mental maturity is also an aspect that needs to be taken into effect.

When planning these large-scale parties, do students think about the safety concerns, their neighbors, the fines they might receive? Sometimes it seems like they don’t.

Believe it or not, there are more than college students that live in this town. There are families with young children that go to bed earlier than the party starts. Putting a young child to sleep while highly intoxicated students cause disturbances next door could be quite the hassle.

These are only two recent instances where I’ve noticed college students need to be more mature and think about others around them.

All I, and most professors, neighbors and other students, ask is to respect others; think about the people surrounding you before you make a decision that may affect them.