I know that most freshmen begin their studies during the fall semester. However, I'm going to impart some advice to all those students who decide to begin their collegiate journey in the middle of winter.

When you enter your classes, don't be surprised if you encounter a number of people that anger you within the first five minutes of the period. This anger is natural, and very much a normal reaction to the idiots you realize you will be putting up with for the next 15 weeks.

However, there is a way to alleviate some of the stress that these people can cause.

Much like talking to someone about or writing down distressing thoughts can ease the burden they cause, I believe that reading about annoying people can help the normal among us to laugh at them.

Like any group deviant from the norm, annoying people in class can be broken down into categories. What follows is, I hope, a comprehensive, catch-all list of the people you can expect to deal with.

First up is the Self-righteous Overachiever, or SRO for short. Never content to sit quietly in class and make comments when they have something pertinent to say, the SRO will speak up at the first possible opportunity and loudly announce to everyone that they're working three jobs while maintaining a 3.8 GPA.

They usually do this in a roundabout way, normally when the professor talks about the textbook required for class.

The quote usually goes something like this: "Excuse me, but is this textbook entirely necessary?

It seems really overpriced and you could probably just put it on reserve at the library because I think I could make it there after my night shift at the theatre is over, at least until I have to go to work again at Wal-Mart."

The SRO should never be engaged in an argument of any sort, as the merits of such a debate are comparable with hitting oneself in the head with a two-by-four covered in flaming barbed wire.

Next up on the list is the Nodder, who nods along knowingly with every word that comes out of the teacher's mouth.

This person is generally a silent annoyance more than anything. Evidently most Nodders forget that they are in an academic setting and not at a televised faith-healing rally.

Just once I would like to see a teacher mess with a Nodder by saying something completely outlandish, something along the lines of: "...and Napoleon died in exile. Speaking of exile, isn't The Price is Right a great show? I know I love it."

Trust me, the Nodder would keep bobbing right along.

Not to be outdone is the Seat Hog, or SH for short. The seat-hog is usually found in rooms designed for 100 or so students and can almost always be seen with a leg up on each chair diagonally ahead of them, with a backpack taking up one side seat, and a jacket engulfing another.

A good Seat Hog can take up five seats at once with no trouble, and a truly inspired one can cordon off seven or eight seats with a little extra effort. A close cousin of the Seat Hog, seen only in large lecture halls, is the Row Reserver. The name, I believe, is self-explanatory. Seat Hoggers go through a period of extinction whenever the weather gets warm and they have no jacket and no reason to stretch their already warmed up legs.

Next on this list is a truly difficult person to stomach. They have no cute acronym to describe them, but their effect on the psyche is too scarring to omit from mention. This person rarely, if ever, shows up to class, and is usually fighting the effects of a wicked hangover at 4 p.m. They can be seen clutching a packet of Nittany Notes on exam day, fighting against all hope to pass the test. You pity them, until the day after the exam, when they show up in class and plop down next to you, wasting little time before asking, "How did you do on the test?"

When you reply that you got an 88 and are pretty happy with it, they give you a glazed over look and say, "Man, I don't know how it happened, but I got a 100."

It is at this point that you are in fact authorized to kill them with your bare hands, if you choose to do so.

Last but not least on the list is the Arrogant Elitist Snob. This person is often seen complaining about the other students in class, but never in a class setting. The AES waits until he/she gets home and needs a column idea on a deadline to start their formless rant. An AES is often characterized by its loud, tinny whine and its propensity to actually be a member of all the previous groups mentioned.

The AES should be avoided at all costs, as they usually have nothing worthwhile to contribute to any discussion.

If you, Joe or Jane Normal Student, can learn to avoid these dangerous deviations from the human norm, you should be just fine here at Penn State.

Just remember the warning signs and always be on guard because you never know when they will strike.