1.) Use Water Bottles
You don't realize this until you're actually in college, but chances are literally everyone in your class brings one with them every day. Hey, at least we're staying hydrated and since they're reusable, we're saving the planet too. Bonus: You can intimidate people at the gym with all your super-sporty stickers. Or be the srat-star wannabe you really are and cover it in Lily Pulitzer monograms.
2.) Wear School T-Shirts All. The. Time.
When you look at college brochures, you think the photographers paid some people to put on a t-shirt with the university's name on it and look happy. But college kids really do wear t-shirts with their school's name on it all the time. I'm pretty sure it's because they got them for free at some event and are procrastinating their laundry until their closet is literally empty, or they run out of clean underwear.
3.) Play Frisbee on the Quad
So, it's kind of a stereotypical image of college to picture people playing frisbee on the "quad" or your school's equivalent. I was shocked to find out that this actually happens! It turns out, college kids love playing frisbee. I'm not entirely sure why, but it's true.
4.) Call the Cafeteria “the Caf”
I thought this was something that only happened in movies, but you quickly find out that only newbie freshman call it the cafeteria or the dining center and nobody wants to be called a freshman, although the lanyard around your neck will probably give it away. Apparently, any other name is just too many syllables.
5.) Complain About Caf Food Constantly
Literally everyone complains about car food. Even if you live in Greek housing or an apartment, you still talk about how lucky you are not to have to eat cat food ever again. However, it's still acceptable to miss the cereal bar that you snuck into Ziplock bags and took with you back to your dorm.
6.) Skip Class When It Rains
You'll definitely notice a sharp decrease in class attendance when it's raining. And yes, the professor will comment on it every time. Look, no one wants to walk 10 minutes to class in the pouring rain just to sleep through a 50 minute lecture. Deal with it, Prof.
7.) Paint Their Bodies for Sporting Events
I thought this only happened at big party schools, but you'll find sport fanatics at any school you choose.
8.) Eat Dinner at Midnight
Sometimes, you just go from one activity to the next and suddenly it's midnight and you forgot to eat. Or, more likely, you're running on 4 hours of sleep, looking at another all-nighter and your stomach decides it needs more food before you can scrape together a passing essay.
9.) Complain About How Lame School-Sponsored Events Are…but still go to all of them anyways.
It's just a fact of life: people like to complain. This means that even though they complain about how stupid an event is, they're still going to go, even if it's just for the free food/t-shirt.
10.) Walk Their Dogs on Campus
Honestly, this is one of the best things about college. When the weather's nice, you can find tons of people walking their dogs around campus. And 9 times out of 10, they'll let you pet it if you ask nicely. Especially if you look like you're 2.6 seconds away from a mental breakdown because your professor gave you a B on an A-quality paper.
11.) Really Really Love Their School...
Even if some people have buried that love pretty deep in a pile of last-minute 10-page papers.
