College is a thrill for several reasons; you can skip classes as often as you choose (though you really shouldn't), you meet new and interesting people, there's lots of room to explore different past times and social circles, and you get to experience the rush of making a Wal-Mart trip with three of your friends at 2 am more often than you probably should be.

But one of my absolute favorite things about college is the fact that you get to choose exactly what professors you'll have, and thanks to sites like ratemyprofessors, finding a good match for your style of academics is easier than ever.

One issue, though, is that the ratings left by other students can be misleading or outdated, leading you to getting a living nightmare of a professor instead of the cakewalk you were promised. And although the types of professors is as diverse as the human population is, there's always a few iconic personalities everyone's had personal experience with, and so here is a list of the four types of professors every student has had:

1. The one who is weirdly happy, like, all of the time.

More often than not this professor teaches humanities classes, and is perfectly on time to all of them. They reply to their e-mails fast, rarely lose their temper, and sometimes even bring in snacks for the class. Their criticism is never even remotely harsh, and they hate giving out bad grades. Rarely do they ever doom a student to failing their class, because as long as you're trying you'll get a C. Sometimes they feel more like a distant family friend than a professor or academic superior, but they genuinely care about the success and well-being of their students.

2. The authoritarian.

Late to class? Don't bother coming at all. Want me to post the notes online? Just write faster. You vaguely mumbled something to a classmate? Leave the room immediately. Unless you've always been an academic protege, don't bother ever trying to impress these professors. Their word is law and their mood is foul, and they'd rather die than accept any late work. More often than not these professors teach classes related to math or science and they're just on the cusp of retirement.

Wearing the most generic and uninspired clothing possible, they slowly drudge through their lessons, making a 50 minute class seem like a night class. They regard their students with apathy at best and contempt at worst, and no one actually willingly takes their class, they just get stuck with it. On the rare chance that you ever manage to get yourself on their good side, though, they're a great ally to have.

3. The been there, done that.

These professors are young and new to the university, and they're sure to let everyone know it. They dress and carry themselves as if they were still students because chances are they graduated less than five years ago, almost all of their work is done online, and they shamelessly litter their lectures with slang and popular lingo to try and "hit it off" with their students. Their jokes are either terrible or the funniest thing you've ever heard, and while they still want to be taken seriously, have no issue being your friend AND your professor.

4. The ghost.

This professor only ever has class, what, once every other week? If canceling class was an Olympic sport, this professor would get the gold medal. Everything is assigned either through e-mail or their own website, and everything is submitted using Turnitin. Sometimes you don't even remember their name or their face because it's been so long since you've seen them, and honestly, that's not even an issue. As long as work is getting graded and they're keeping you updated, you're happy to get a little extra me time.