As soon as a kid reaches high school age, the stereotype is that they will always be getting into trouble. T.V. shows portray teenagers as the “I don’t care” crowd, sneaking out of the house, throwing crazy parties. Me personally? Well I was the kid who would spend the time that I wasn’t in school or club activities, on the couch wearing sweatpants and watching Netflix or doing some crazy craft in my room. Over a year later that’s pretty much still my go to in the spare time that I do have.
Now, leading into my sophomore year of college, I realize that I have been faced with a whole new list of stereotypes. Supposedly, the partying increases, My pajamas walk me to my morning classes, I should be lazy, because you know, “C’s get degrees”, and any pack of Ramen in a five mile radius should run and hide. So I would like to apologize for not living up to the image of the stereotypical college student.
Sorry I didn’t go to the “raging kegger” That was the day before finals began. I thought that instead of doing what most people were trying to tell me would be fun and relaxing, I would do the option I was already used to, studying for the upcoming exams. I’m not a partier because the concept of the infamous MU Wednesday nights, does not agree with my studying or work schedules.
Unfortunately, my pajamas are not invited to drive to school in the morning with me. What I put on in the morning sticks with me through the end of the day. Besides, getting up in the morning and attempting to look presentable makes me feel more awake
“C’s get degrees” has to be one of the worst things that I have ever heard. People have told that to me as a joke, as advice and it is heard from the dejected student that didn’t do as well as they would have liked on the last test. The stereotype that college students are lazy is as insane as the number of hours we have to study per week to stay on top of our work.
The Ramen thing? Well I won’t argue too much against that. Really throughout this past year, my diet has consisted of whatever I could grab quickly between classes, and yes, sometimes this did lead to stops in the student center to heat up a bowl of Ramen.
The worst part about these stereotypes is that I feel that some people feel pressured to live up to them, like they are somehow a rite of passage. Students need to remember that working your hardest and being yourself is all you have to do.
