If you were to ask a college student the one thing they could not live without, the majority of people would give the answer you would expect a college student to give: Coffee. Cappuccino, Latte, Flat white, Caffe macchiato, espresso, you name it. Whether it's iced or hot, you better believe college students will be drinking something caffeinated. However, I am not like most students. I do not drink coffee.
I know I am in the unpopular opinion but I find coffee disgusting.
I love the smell but I hate the taste. I have tried different types of coffee but either the taste is too bitter or it is too sweet. Either way, both leave a disgusting aftertaste in my mouth after it is all said and done. As I have gone through college for about a year and a half, I find more and more people questioning how it is possible. It is possible. I do it every day.
When I tell people that I don't drink coffee, people don't understand. How do I stay awake? Do you go to bed at like 9 P.M. on weekdays? I stay awake like any other human being. However, I do not rely on caffeine to get me through my day and I am not saying college students rely on caffeine to them through the day. All I am saying I find my own ways to get through the day. And no, I go to bed as late as normal college students. Maybe even later. This semester has tested my ability to stay up and get up in the morning with very little sleep. It may be more of struggle without coffee, but I am functioning as any student would.
I think people have a hard time believing that I don't drink coffee because society seems to run on coffee. I go to Target, Forever 21, or Francesca's and see shirts that have something to do with coffee. You know the ones I'm talking about. The sweatshirts that say "Ok, but first coffee". The person I am wants to conform and drink coffee like everyone else. But there are perks to not drinking coffee.
I don't have to constantly keep putting money into my accounts for my coffee runs. I know Dunkin has their happy hour special which is great for us penny-pinching people, but I'll stick to my hot, green tea or hot chocolate I can make in my microwave. I will also never know what it is like to feel jittery or anxious because of coffee. I am already a naturally shaky person who doesn't need a drink to increase my shakiness.
Many my fellow classmates talk about how much they need coffee or the latest Starbucks or Dunkin run. The only time you will see me with a Starbucks cup in hand is when there is hot chocolate in it. Props to the non-coffee drinkers for being able to make it through a week of exams, projects, and possible jobs and internships without drinking the most convenient, caffeinated drink in our society. You may be in the minority but you are not alone. So to my fellow college students who can't stand the taste of coffee, I raise my cup to you (full of hot tea most likely).
