College students throughout the world can identify with the lifestyle of college. From staying up all night studying to getting free food, there are some universal experiences that resonate with all college students.
1. Joining clubs on the basis of free food.
In college, free food is a huge incentive to do just about anything. Bible Study? I'll go if there's free food. Biochemistry club offering pizza at each meeting? Why not join! Lots of volunteer opportunities across campus offer free meals or food for taking part. Even the library bribes students to come in during finals week with free donuts and coffee. Passing up opportunities like these are just silly. College is basically a world of coffee and pizza, both of which are life necessities. You're just being foolish if you're passing up opportunities like these.
2. Getting the most out of your meal plan.
Not only do clubs lure members to come to meetings by offering free food, but people also look to get the most out of their meal plans. When paying about $10 per meal, it is silly to go in and have just a small bowl of Froot Loops for dinner. Oftentimes, you'll see people entering the dining hall with backpacks on, only to open them and begin pulling out Tupperware, water bottles, or even milk jugs. Whether it is taking a snack for later or making yourself a meal for when you have a night class, getting your money's worth is a must.
3. Ironing clothes with anything that you can find.
Yes, I occasionally find a shirt in my closet that is horridly wrinkled. Not having an iron at school makes for some pretty sloppy outfits, but the realization that my hair straightener doubles as a clothing iron has worked wonders. That tool is a two-in-one: so not only do you save money by using a single tool for two tasks, but you can save time by straightening your hair and your skirt! If you are really gifted, you can even flat-iron your clothes while wearing them—I have tried and escaped only slightly burned.
4. Simplicity.
College students are the pinnacle of simplicity. Not only can we get through a week with a single pen, we can also make a meal of just clementines and cheese sticks. We are at a time in our lives that we don't even need to pretend that we have our shit together. Going to class in yoga pants and a T-shirt for the fourth day in a row? Whatever. Taking notes on the blank side of a poster you ripped off the wall? That's just being eco-friendly.
5. The art of not sleeping.
Pulling an all-nighter is something that almost all college students have done. Whether procrastination pushed you to leave that paper until the night before it is due or if that lab report just slipped your mind, losing sleep is nothing new. Faculty and students alike are often sleep deprived, yet somehow we all continue to function. My only tips are taking a power nap, becoming best friends with the girl across the hall with a Keurig, taking dance breaks, and taking a shower to wake yourself up before class the next day. However much losing sleep sucks, that's what weekends are for, right?! Going out as a reward for finishing that term paper and sleeping until two the next day is okay every once in a while!
