When you see a college student, it is pretty obvious that they are a college student. But there are 11 things other than huge under eye circles and baggy t-shirts that set college students apart from everyone else.
1.You have mastered the art of waking up 10 minutes before class and still make it on time.
There have been so many times where I woke up 10 minutes before class started and still made it to my class. I do not know how, but I am not going to question it. It’s an art. An art that most college students have mastered by midterms the first semester of freshman year.
2. You can never find parking.
Finding a parking spot on campus is like finding a random twenty-dollar bill in your car—rare and unexpected. Okay, let’s ignore the fact that we woke up 5 minutes before—so it is probably our fault that we cannot find a parking spot—because we pay a hefty amount to go to school, there should be a parking spot for us.
3. Getting a parking ticket is a weekly ritual.
You know when you were little, and you would see a little green piece of paper on your parent’s car and it was for a yard sale or a sale at a small local store? Yeah well now the green little green paper is on your car and it’s a parking ticket, because apparently paying an arm and a leg in tuition and a hundred dollars for a parking decal isn’t enough.
4. You have a table at the library that you always sit at and it annoys you when someone else is sitting at it.
I have a table at the library and it is very annoying when I walk in to see someone sitting at MY table. It is the table that I sit at every time I have a big test or have a ton of homework. It has an outlet beside it for me to charge my phone. It has been there for every late-night study session and breakdown. Basically, it should be reserved for me. To people not in college this may sound extreme, but to those on the same struggle bus as me, you know. (Side note: It is also very aggravating when you go to the library with someone else and they do not want to sit at your table)
5. Nap time is your favorite time of the day.
I used to fight going to sleep at nap time when I was little. Now as a college student, I take a nap when I can, where I can. It is my favorite time of the day and if someone dares to disturbs my slumber…6. You are broke.
All I have to say is—I only thought I was broke in high school.
7. Free food is the best food.
I used to get embarrassed when other people would pay for my food, but now it's like Christmas morning. (Disclaimer: I still hate it, but when you are a broke, hungry college student and God sends a blessing your way in the form of free food—you don’t get upset about it.)
8. You are asleep more than you are awake during breaks.
I go home, and my parents expect me to spend time with them. Well sorry mom and dad, I must hibernate now so that I can be well rested for when I go back to my sleep-depriving schedule.
9. Game days are equivalent to holidays.
Game days are like going to your grandmother’s house for Christmas—it’s an all-day affair. You wake up that morning and start getting ready, you go tailgate, maybe drop by your favorite frat house, you tailgate, eat some food, you tailgate some more, you take a million pictures in your super cute “game day outfit”, did I mention tailgate?
10. You basically live at your best friend’s dorm even though visiting hours end at midnight.I mean those visiting hours are just a suggestion, right?
11. You gain weight... a lot of it.
It is a funny thing, you would think that since we don’t have the money to eat three meals a day that we would lose weight, but my body is walking proof of that statement being a lie. Not only did I gain the Freshman Fifteen, but the Freshman Fifteen plus ten more pounds. You see we buy the cheapest food possible, AKA McDonald’s and Waffle House, so our bodies just blow up like balloons.
These 11 things set us college students apart from everyone else and although some of these are not the best thing in the world, I do not think we would want it any other way. After all, college is the best four years of our lives, right?