Ask Alexis: Paying attention

Dear Alexis,

My physics lecture is so boring, and the professor won't let us bring laptops. How can I stay awake?

- Sleepy in Science

Dear Sleepy,

Wait. If you're reading this in lecture by slyly peeking at your iPhone under your desk, stop reading right now. Not because it's against the rules - but because you've already figured out a solution to the "no laptop" policy. Congrats.

If you are reading this in hard copy (yeah right, who am I kidding?), then continue. Just make sure no one sees you reading the ‘Prince' - in lecture or elsewhere.

A fun game to play is to make up stories about the people around you - the weirder, the better. Just be sure not to get too engrossed in them that you accidentally ask "Herbert the goat farmer" two rows down how his flock is doing.

Another game that's perfect for the first few weeks of classes is trying to guess the person who's going to raise his or her hand to answer all the professor's rhetorical questions. It's early enough in the year to spot the first signs of the overzealous hand-raiser, even if he has yet to rear his brown-nosing head in full. I'll give you a hint: He looks like he's 15 and his shirt is tucked into his pants.

You can also keep an eye on the preceptors. They often have a very different relationship with the professor and the material, so they tend to make odd faces, thinking that no one is looking. Oh, how wrong they are!

Finally, you can doodle. Yes, regular doodling is fun and relaxing, but it's even better to do creepy doodling. Start by drawing some straight-up freaky stuff and see how long it takes the person next to you to notice. Then be sure to avoid that person; she probably thinks you're a serial killer.

- Alexis

Alexis Kleinman is a junior who knows it all. She can be reached at akleinma@princeton.edu.