Life as a college student isn’t sunshine and rainbows all the time (especially since winter takes up half of our year in Wisconsin). Our everyday encounters with people and places definitely don’t go according to plan as little things cause our blood to boil with frustration and our veins to pop out of our skin as we quickly trigger the impatience inside us that we all seem to possess. You dread going to class because the professor talks extraordinarily fast and can’t seem to write everything down without your hand cramping up in immense pain. You hate sharing a bathroom with three other people because that one time you do decide to shower, your neighbor is already in there taking her sweet time. As I’m sure we all can relate to the infinite amount of irritations that we confront on a daily basis, I found it intriguing to find out exactly what are some of the everyday agitations among college students. I have to admit I am not a statistics major, so I did not conduct a survey that would speak for most of college students. Instead, I simply interviewed three Freshman girls, here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Here are some of the top everyday agitations that most college students feel on a daily basis.
1. “When the 80 is packed.” –Victoria Pickett
Ah, yes. It is 10 degrees outside, and you are bundled up in every layer possible. The 80 bus finally comes, but your day is instantly ruined as you walk into 100 people shoving you back and forth. You hate contact with other people and if you’re a germophobe, there’s no hope for you. You might as well get off now.
2. “When your FitBit dies in the middle of your workout.” –Megan Kalkofen
No! You were just about to reach your goal of 20,000 steps for the day and your FitBit dies in the middle of your four mile run. You feel like a failure. You pack up your things and go home because there is no purpose to be at the gym anymore.
3. “When bikers nearly run you over every day.” –Everyone
I don’t care if you are a biker, walk, ride a moped, or take the bus. I know there has been a time when you saw a biker pedaling 25 miles per hour straight at you and your heart nearly stopped. You really do have to be on the lookout, those bikers don’t mess around. Look both ways before you cross the street, kids.
4. “The employees at Gordon’s yelling at you for eating in line.” –Megan Kalkofen
Post-class, post-workout, post-really anything. You came to Gordon’s for one thing only: food. You didn’t come to sit in a 30-minute line as people can’t figure out how to have their WisCard ready when they get to the front of line. So, naturally your starving and begin to eat your meal in line. You quickly learn from this mistake as the Gordon’s employees precede to yell as if you committed a terrible crime.
5. “If you’re going to walk at a snail’s pace, at least go single file.” –Maddie Mittelsteadt
You’re late to class, and you begin your brisk walk along the sidewalk. You quickly become annoyed as a group of three people in front of you just happen to take up the whole sidewalk. They are laughing, having the best day of their life. Enjoying this beautiful 60-degree day, they feel the need to embrace their surroundings by walking at a snail’s pace. We get it—you want to talk to your friends and there just happens to be a sidewalk the perfect width that fits two of your friends. But—lets save the chit-chat for another time people.
6. “When people on the end seat take their sweet time when it’s time to leave class.” –Megan Kalkofen
The bell rings, and you are sweating as you try to get all your belongings together. You don’t have to sit in sea of 200 people waiting to get out of the lecture hall. You have everything together, but you look down the row and you cringe as that one kid—lucky enough to sit on the end of the row—has truly 100 different things to put in his backpack. But wait -- now he has to put on his gloves, hat, and winter coat.
7. “When you are taking an exam and your mechanical pencil just doesn’t want you to pass.” –Me
Your nerves are eating you up while you take an exam. You accidentally keep breaking your mechanical pencil lead every single time it touches the paper. If that isn’t bad enough, you try to erase a simple mistake and your eraser unexpectedly smudges the whole paper into a bunch of smeared lines. The Scantron probably won’t even scan now. You probably will fail. All because of a pencil.
