Best way to confront a fellow student about something petty?

[mrwesticles]

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I can't tell if I'm being high-strung here, but there is someone in my class who chews ice constantly during his exams. The sound of crunching echoing through his skull carries remarkably well. It sounds like I'm listening to someone repeatedly breaking bones behind me as I'm trying to answer multiple-choice questions.

We take exams in separate small rooms, so I can't exactly move away from him, and I wonder if I'm the only one annoyed by this. I even casually asked him about it and he says that it helps him think and has been doing it for years. I can only imagine him walking into an exam room with a mouthful of ice, "hgi, i'm yough dohctor"

Do you ever have to deal with other students being particularly noisy?

 

[swamprat]

I can't tell if I'm being high-strung here, but there is someone in my class who chews ice constantly during his exams. The sound of crunching echoing through his skull carries remarkably well. It sounds like I'm listening to someone repeatedly breaking bones behind me as I'm trying to answer multiple-choice questions.

We take exams in separate small rooms, so I can't exactly move away from him, and I wonder if I'm the only one annoyed by this. I even casually asked him about it and he says that it helps him think and has been doing it for years. I can only imagine him walking into an exam room with a mouthful of ice, "hgi, i'm yough dohctor"

Do you ever have to deal with other students being particularly noisy?

I sat next to a kid who drew pictures all over his exam and would stair into space and constantly drink a red bulls.. annoying but I just didn't sit next to him after that. In your situation just go ask him if he can either move somewhere else (but u said not possible?) or to not do it becauseits distracting.. if it really bothers you take it up with the admin to see if u can get ur seat changed.

 

[tiedyeddog]

We aren't allowed to bring drinks, or almost anything for that matter, into our class rooms during exams. I'd talk to a proctor before the test begin

 

[turkeyjerky]

"dude--quit chewing ice, it's getting on my f#cking nerves"

 

[mrwesticles]

"dude--quit chewing ice, it's getting on my f#cking nerves"

Yeah, I basically said a polite version of that to him. I'm thinking about bringing in earplugs but I'm worried if that makes me "that guy."

There was another kid in undergrad who would break his pencil in the middle of every exam. It wasn't distracting because he'd only do it once, but every day he would bring in a fresh pencil and we all knew how doomed the poor thing was.

 

[BushidoBrown]

Pretty sure that by going on an internet forum to complain about a guy chewing ice automatically makes you 'that guy'

 

[thepoopologist]

1. Disembowel him and hang him from the roof with his testicles in his mouth.
2. Bring an AR-15 to school and tell him the next time he chews ice, he's going to get it.
3. Pour gasoline on him and light him on fire.
4. Pay four gang members to burst into the next test and beat him up.
5. Cut out his tongue with a carving knife

etc, etc

 

[mrwesticles]

1. Disembowel him and hang him from the roof with his testicles in his mouth.
2. Bring an AR-15 to school and tell him the next time he chews ice, he's going to get it.
3. Pour gasoline on him and light him on fire.
4. Pay four gang members to burst into the next test and beat him up.
5. Cut out his tongue with a carving knife

etc, etc

I think this brings up some sort of oath.

 

[MrBeauregard]

The best thing for you to do would be to wear ear plugs during your exam. You can't really go ask that dude to stop chewing ice because it bothers YOU. I dealt with this same issue during my first year. There were a lot of people who would bring granola bars, chips, etc. to class and when opened could make a lot of racket. Our school policy allows us to bring those types of things into class, so I really couldn't ask those people not to. A second example was this guy who constantly coughed during tests. He does it during lectures, too, but the only time it was really noticeable/bothersome was when there wasn't a professor's voice to drown it out. It was like he had mucous buildup in his throat and every 7 minutes would let out this loud "HACK!" I finally decided that in order to build my own optimal testing environment I was going to wear ear plugs. It was tough to get used to at first, mainly because of the feel of something in your ears, but also because it really put me inside my own head. It was weird at first but I got used to it and now I feel like I perform better that way.

So, my advice to you is to grab some ear plugs and go from there.

 

[Siverhideo1985]

pica --> anemia --> colorectal cancer

you don't wanna pick on the kid with cancer! Looks bad on your dean's letter.

 

[thepoopologist]

I think this brings up some sort of oath.

Kill, destroy, mutilate!

 

[Rollo]

Ear plugs, my man, ear plugs.

And for the love of snowman, don't take this up to the admin. This is a simple issue that can be fixed by some high-quality ear plugs. If you don't want to be "that guy", then when you bring the ear plugs, show the dude you brought them so his ice-chewing doesn't bother you. That way he can continue his ice-chewing fetish and you can get some quiet ambiance to take your test in.

Diplomacy for the win!

 

[alwaysaangel]

Yup - just bring ear plugs. Ear plugs is a way that you can solve the issue and have the kind of quiet you need for testing.

Saying something to him or the administration is what makes you 'that guy.'

Might as well get used to wearing ear plugs since Prometric exam sites can be surprisingly noisy for your USMLE exams, so you might as well embrace them now if you can't ignore noisy exam environments without them.

 

[UCLA2002]

"Hey, sorry to bother you, but when you chew that ice it is pretty loud and distracting"

God damn that was hard

 

[Morsetlis]

Doesn't ice melt?

How long could this "chewing" possibly last?

 

[pkwraith]

Chewing ice is a sign of iron deficiency/anemia. Dope his drinks with iron and wait.

I think this brings up some sort of oath.

More Blood for the Blood God!

 

[VenusinFurs]

You're still in basic sciences, right? I think you should try to learn how to concentrate in noisy environments. It's a pretty good skill for a doctor to have.

 

[Wordead]

Whatever, Hitler.

 

[VenusinFurs]

whatever, hitler.

crunch.

Crunch crunch.

Crunch

 

[BeastInfection]

Yes, you can wear earplugs, but to me it'd be more about the principle. Why should an entire classroom have to hear annoying crunching sounds during an exam just to accommodate this guy's obnoxious nervous habit? I'm surprised no one has ever said anything to him when he's been doing this for years (actually, they probably have). That said, I'd more than likely be too chicken**** to approach the person directly, so would probably go with earplugs or ask the professor to be moved or to prohibit anything not liquid. I mean, seriously, people can't go a couple of hours without eating??

 

[VenusinFurs]

Yes, you can wear earplugs, but to me it'd be more about the principle. Why should an entire classroom have to hear annoying crunching sounds during an exam just to accommodate this guy's obnoxious nervous habit? I'm surprised no one has ever said anything to him when he's been doing this for years (actually, they probably have). That said, I'd more than likely be too chicken**** to approach the person directly, so would probably go with earplugs or ask the professor to be moved or to prohibit anything not liquid. I mean, seriously, people can't go a couple of hours without eating??

Ice. People can't go a couple of hours without eating ice.

NOM NOM NOM

 

[Mean Muggin]

This is ridiculous. Silence during an exam is sacrosanct. If chewing ice during exams is that essential for this guy's concentration, you should tell him that he's got a learning disability and that he needs to apply for special testing conditions.

 

[medstudent1113]

Yah, I usually don't beat around the bush. I just point out to to them their mannerism and ask them why they do it. I usually just tell them to stop doing what they are doing... politely of course.

 

[D elegans]

The only logical thing to do is to perform an at least equally annoying ritual next time you're by him in an exam. Sighing loudly repeatedly, tapping your pen incessantly on your desk, making annoying clicking noises with your tongue, coughing inappropriately loudly... you get the idea. Maybe then he'll get the f****ing point. If that fails, follow the poopologist's recommendations.

 

[VenusinFurs]

5 mg haloperidol iv once.

 

[TallScrubs]

The only logical thing to do is to perform an at least equally annoying ritual next time you're by him in an exam. Sighing loudly repeatedly, tapping your pen incessantly on your desk, making annoying clicking noises with your tongue, coughing inappropriately loudly... you get the idea. Maybe then he'll get the f****ing point. If that fails, follow the poopologist's recommendations.

Passive aggressive....love it

 

[adaptation1]

wtf. i'm the most passive guy ever. but if someone is obviously disrupting me during an exam, i'd just tell him straight up. what's the big deal???

 

[Shadowmoses]

If you don't want to be that guy, make him some 'fruit punch' ice cubes or something. Maybe out of kindness he will stop. It would be funny if you spiked the fruit punch ice cubes, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Alternatively, if you want to be mean, bring in a blow dryer or portable heater and melt his ice.

 

[410322]

Alternatively, if you want to be mean, bring in a blow dryer or portable heater and melt his ice.

Now I'm picturing an uppity med student bring in a blow dryer, plug it in, hold it up as if it was a gun, and say, "EAT HOT AIR, BITCH!" while thumbing the starter.