How seniors ask questions

There are two classes I take right now where there are seniors: music history and physics. I’ve noticed that the biggest difference between the seniors and the younger students, like myself, is their proficiency in asking the right questions and to self-advocate when they are confused. They merely have two years on me, but somehow in those two years, they’ve found ways to be more proactive in class. 

In my physics class, I am often confused. The course goes through topics very quickly and I often leave the classroom with lots of questions in my head. I’m sort of at that point in my self-advocacy where I will ask questions if the moment feels right. For me, I’m still hesitant to ask questions sometimes in class. It feels weird to ask questions when the teacher has already moved onto the next topic or if the teacher is getting really excited when they’re explaining the problem and then to hear me interrupt with « um, could you explain that again? I’m confused ». I feel as if it throws the teacher off track, and I feel bad asking too many questions. However, it feels different when the seniors ask questions. They ask lots of questions, at relevant times, and with profound efficiency. They do this without making it awkward for the teacher or the class. I’m not sure how they do it, but I think it’s the way they phrase the questions that make keeps the class flowing. What I’ve noticed and admire about the seniors is that they do not stop asking clarifying questions until the concept is clear. They know how to ask the right questions and point out exactly where they are confused. As a result, they get responses that are so tailored to that individual area of confusion that they end up only needed to ask one to two questions for that concept to become clear. 

This is an area I would like to improve upon. Being efficient with asking questions feels super critical to me because too often, I ask questions that get me responses I already understand. This can only mean I’m not asking the right questions. When I talked to the seniors in my class, they told me they felt similarly their lower year as well. Apparently asking the right questions and being proactively engaged in class is a skill that develops with time. For the time being, I will focus on asking more questions in class when I have them.