The first days away at college can be scary; Aside from feeling lost and alone, having the constant fear of embarrassing yourself seems enough reason to want to move back home. As a freshman, making a mistake is understandable. There are even a few upperclassmen willing to admit they have ended up in the wrong classroom a time or two.
Some people are direct, and just embrace the embarrassing situation. On her first day of junior year, Regan Trippe quickly realized she was in the right room at the wrong time. “I sat down in class and my professor started talking about poetry,” Trippe said.
“When she asked me to introduce myself I said ‘I’m Regan, and I’m in the wrong class.’”
She left the classroom and headed back to her dorm, but had to return to the scene of the crime for her correct class. “The worst part was seeing the students when they were leaving their class an hour later, and I was waiting for mine.”
Some people, however, aren’t as confident when they have these mix-ups. Andrew Russell, junior, went to the wrong class on his first day of school, too. Instead of leaving once he realized his error, he stayed and listened to the professor talk about class policies on plagiarism. “I went to the classroom right next to the room I was supposed to be in,” Russell said. “The professor said I wasn’t on the roster for attendance, and we figured out I was in the wrong class.”
While some professors are nice about the mistake, some just try to convince you to stay. An anonymous senior shared the story from their freshman year, “I was in the wrong class and realized as soon as she started talking about the syllabus. When I stood up to walk out, she got really offended and tried to convince me to stay in her class. I sat back down and listened, and then never went back.” Turns out, the student was a psychology major at the time and the class the student ended up in was a 300-level marketing class. “The funny part is I ended up having to take the class [my junior] year, but the professor didn’t recognize me.”
An anonymous freshman got an extra lecture her first day this year. She explained, “I was late to class, because I didn’t understand how to use Canvas. When I walked in, I got a lecture from the professor about being professional and taking classes seriously. She told me I was off to a bad start. After she started the class lecture, I realized I was in the wrong class and just left.”
As long as you make it to the right class eventually, don’t worry about being embarrassed. No one is going to judge you,
because almost everyone has done it. Every student understands, and most professors just want you to succeed. Don’t be afraid to admit your mistake and get to the class you should be in. If you need help finding a room or using Canvas, there are students all over campus who probably had a similar mix-up or two and are willing to help.
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