Going to the library is something practically every college student does during the year. You hate it, but you make yourself go because, well, you’re in college and have work to get done.
Yes, the library is a great place to do your homework, work on a project, or study for finals, but it is also a great place to people-watch. Have you ever just stopped to look around? You should. Aside from a lot of weird people doing very strange things, there are various ways people go about their library duties.
Here are some of the types of people you will see at the lib.
1. The “I Haven’t Slept for 3 Days”
They look rough. Four empty Starbucks cups and two red bulls, you know it’s bad. You don’t want to approach them because they are obviously working in overdrive, and they could snap at any given second. You can try to guess their situation; it’s usually an exam for a class they have yet to attend this semester, or it's calculus, because who actually understands calculus? I’ve been this person and you probably have too. Not one of my finest moments... I swear I don’t wear sweatpants that much, and I do wash my hair (sometimes).
2. The Socialite
These people can be so annoying, except when I, myself, am this person, and then it’s perfectly acceptable. Coming to the library in a dress and perfect curls, please. This is a place for learning, and no one cares what you look like. They sit down at a table with all of their BFFs on a level 3 quiet zone floor and gossip away. Really? How many times do I have to shush you until you actually shut up? I have an entire chapter of chemistry homework due tonight, and I don’t want to be distracted by who Jason slept with while he was dating Becky.
3. The “100 Flashcards Will Help Me Study”
I have never really seen the great effects that flashcards supposedly have on your brain, but I still continue to try them out every once and a while. You see this person sitting across from you with a giant stack of flashcards, and I mean giant. Where do you even get that many flashcards? First, they write all three million of them out perfectly, in three different colored pens. That helps you learn, or so someone once told me. I plead OCD. Then they flip through them and smile to themselves, kind of creepily and you just know, "Oh, yeah they must have gotten that right...but probably not." They totally just flipped it over and were like “Oh I knew that..." Sure you did. This process just continues on. Does it even work? Will you ace that test? I think you just wasted three hours and a couple trees making those “study tools.”
4. The DJ
This guy is that kid that rides his skateboard out of the elevator with his giant BEATS by DRE headphones on. We get it, you’re cool. He pulls out his computer after he sits down and that’s when we hear it. He plays his EDM music so loud that I literally could write out lyrics for you…from the other side of the library. Yes, I understand that music can help you study, but you didn’t take out a notebook or even a freaking pencil. Did you really come here to dramatically headbang when the beat drops or do you have some homework to do? Maybe he’s just majoring in disc jockeying (is that a thing?). In that case, I apologize.
5. The “I Have No Idea What I’m Doing”
You are all organized and totally prepared for this date night with the library. You get out your planner, your textbooks, your notebook, and your laptop. Wow, you look studious AF. You plug in your headphones to your Mozart Pandora station and get to work. Only, you don’t really know how to study, and your sociology homework is written in a language you don’t understand. Let’s just rewrite your notes from class, that’s a good way to study (lol). You do that for a solid 15 minutes, not even aware of what you are writing, get bored, and decide to check Facebook, twitter, Instagram, AND Snapchat. You earned a study break. After an hour, you return to studying, only to realize you barely go to this class and you hate taking notes. Great. You attempt to read the textbook and then go back to social media once you have a small mental breakdown. This cycle continues until its 2 a.m. and you are officially screwed. #College.
If you have never spent a night in the library, I think you might be doing college wrong. So do it, get some stuff done (or don't), and observe the people around you. Trust me, you will get a good laugh or maybe a cry because one of those people is you.
