12 Small Victories All Queen's University Belfast Students Dream About

11. People Actually Answering Questions During Tutorials (Just Not You)

Every QUB student has one: a tutorial in which nobody speaks. Over the course of your time at university you begin to learn that if nobody really talks in the first two weeks, it's over. Silence for the entire semester.

That's when the chanting comes, the under-your-breath incantations; appealing to whatever higher power will listen to make someone €“ anyone €“ answer the question the tutor has asked. Just not you. You're too busy working on your BA in Carpet Studies. How long can this silence go on for? Why isn't anybody saying anything? Is the tutor looking at you? Don't risk it. Keep staring at the ground. Are you deaf now? Is this what it's like to be deaf? You can dream of talkative tutorials all you want, it's not long until you learn: there's one. There is always one.