Whether it is your deskmate chewing gum too loudly or being stuck behind someone walking too slowly, we all have at least one pet peeve that can test our patience and might just make us lose our temper. With UHS students experiencing a variety of irritations daily, we will dive into some school-day frustrations that likely get under your classmates’ skin.

1. Being Late

This one is rather self-explanatory. Many of the students who we spoke with found it troublesome whenever someone they were scheduled to meet showed up late. Sophomore Sebastian Anjel is one such student who feels disappointed by tardiness.

“It is really frustrating when plans are made for a certain time and most people show up 15 to 20 minutes late,” Anjel said.

A general tip to avoid being late is to plan to arrive at the agreed-upon location at the specified time, instead of only just departing then. Planning is necessary to account for any traffic and how far you need to travel, among other factors that may delay your arrival.

2. Talking to Someone with Headphones on

Plenty of UHS students walk around wearing AirPods or other headphone devices. Sometimes, it can be difficult to strike up a conversation with one of these music lovers and may feel even more frustrating trying to continue one.

“They are usually more connected with the music they are listening to and not the conversation,” Anjel said.

This communication gap can sometimes lead to repeating oneself three or four times to convey a message. While this can lead to many amusing moments, most UHS students have unresponsive headphone users at the top of their list of pet peeves. Just imagine the difficulty that two AirPod users would have trying to talk with each other.

3. Slow Internet

While the Wi-Fi network at UHS is very reliable, some students do not experience the same level of internet connectivity at home. Sophomore Luca Valdevit is often frustrated by the fluctuating internet stability which often hinders his Overwatch gameplay at home.

“I used to get kicked out of [Overwatch] games mid-match because my Wi-Fi was so bad,” Valdevit said.

Slow Wi-Fi may be annoying to face during gaming, but it poses a real problem when trying to be productive. Constantly disconnecting from and reconnecting to the internet makes it difficult to complete assignments, study for tests, etc.

For students who do not have a reliable internet connection at home, it is even more important to get as much work done as possible at school through opportunities such as Office Hours and work time during class.

4. Procrastinators

It can be very difficult to tackle the many challenging classes offered at UHS by yourself, so some students lean toward collaborating in group sessions where peers can share notes and consult one another to study for tests.

However, a drawback to such a method can arise when your study partners are also master procrastinators. Trying to study in a group of procrastinating students can serve as a distraction rather than efficiency as you may find yourself relying more on others for off-topic discussions than for study advice. Sophomore Nick Lieggi is one such student who has had mixed experiences while studying in a group. He notes that it can be frustrating when relying on others to study effectively, suggesting that individual studying could be a more productive alternative.

“People who procrastinate work show how they choose to do other [activities] and [it] displays the kind of person they are,” Lieggi said.

All of these pet peeves and school-day frustrations highlight the daily challenges, both big and small, shared by our student community. Punctuality, technology and communication are just a couple of factors that serve as a reminder of the nuanced experiences and perspectives students have with each new day at UHS.