No matter which University you end up attending, you’ll be meeting a whole host of different characters, each with personalities completely different from what you currently know to be ‘normal’. Meeting these eclectic personalities is a brilliant experience, naturally, you will get along with some, and others not so much – but it’s all a learning curve for you. But, don’t for a second think it is just your fellow students who will be placed into a category; you’ll be getting judged too.
So, let’s take a quick dive into 4 typical stereotypes you will come across on campus;
The ‘workaholic’ one
You can spot them a mile off, they are the poor sods sitting in the library with a stack of books as high as their parents expectations, three and a half cans of empty Red Bull and a face that looks like it hasn’t slept in a week. These are the same students who not only sign up to every student society known to man but continue to stick with them through the year – adding to their long list of to-do. The workaholic is the person everyone dreams of being paired up with on those infamous group assignments, although if you befriend one it is essential you keep a close eye on them, as by nature they are prone to burn-outs and will need a helping hand from time to time.
The ‘do you even go here?’ one
There’s always that one person isn’t there, you see them at your course induction week during freshers, but then after that… they vanish, never to be seen again, well until the group presentation day. Now, I must admit that in my first semester of Uni I was this person, I think I had a 16% attendance record and upon my return, in January my course mates genuinely believed I had quit altogether, there was even a rumour going around I had won the lottery and packed Uni in as a result…. If only!
The ‘party animal’ one
Otherwise known as the BNOC (big name on campus), these individuals are a different breed when it comes to the social side of Uni, they certainly go hard, and rarely go home! You will find these students out 5 nights a week at least, whether it’s a pub/club/event or just a flat sesh, you can bet your student finance they will be there having the time of their lives. But like everything in life, all good things must come to an end, and the party animal is not exempt. They may live Uni social life to its fullest, but with that comes the inevitable – worried parents, shocking grades, and an eternal hangover which never gets any easier. These are also the same students who come to the end of term, still haven’t unpacked their kitchen packs because who needs food right when you have alcohol?! It goes without saying that befriending a party animal will wholeheartedly make your Uni experience a better one, however it is very likely your BNOC friend will burn out, drop out, and re-enroll the following year only to live the same mantra and so the exact same.
The ‘last minute’ one
It doesn’t matter that they have had months to plan, research, write and submit their final dissertation, yet these individuals still find themselves entering the deadline week still with the majority of work still to do. Again, I can relate to this stereotype, I left it 12 days before starting my dissertation – my saving grace was the months of research I had stored away like a squirrel with nuts. It is without any doubt that this is not the route to take! Although I completed it in time, I uploaded my report at 12:57 pm, a whole 3 minutes before the deadline. I did not sleep for 54 hours prior, only leaving the library to return home for dinner, luckily my student kitchen pack had everything I needed to do so in a timely manner so I could return to my work asap.
You will certainly come across these individuals in the library, slumped over a laptop, crippled with anxiety and no one else to blame but themselves, they’re also the same people who don’t have their own University Student Pack, and will forever be stealing your Kitchen Utensils. These individuals are not the most reliable when it comes to end-of-term celebrations, trust me… they’ll be zonked out in a mini coma sleeping off what would have been a very stressful week.
The truth is, you will represent each stereotype at some point throughout your University experience and don’t for a second think you won’t because you definitely will. There will certainly be times when you pull an all-nighter in the library because you have a 10 am deadline, the best piece of advice for this scenario is to have regular 15minute breaks, take a walk and drink plenty of water. You will occasionally sleep in until midday, that’s ok as long as you don’t make a habit out of it. There will be times when you leave reports to the last minute, you’re human, not a robot, just be sure to give yourself enough time to get it done, and to not beat yourself up in the process – it does not help the situation at all. It’s also imperative that you experience the social culture of your Uni, even if you are an introvert (I am) you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone from time to time – it’s all part of your development and your wider University experience.