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Being in college is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you can’t really equate with much else. As such, it leads to some experiences that are so specific to the college experience that images like these will take you right back to the good (or not-so-good) ol’ days.
Early Mornings Don’t Work Now
In high school, you were likely ready and in class just before 8 in the morning. That’s not counting the time it takes to get ready and commute to class. You might carry that ambition over into your first semester of college.
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Something about those classes is just seemingly improbable to get to and impossible to sit through, especially after a late night, no matter if you were partying or studying. Save yourself the stress and take it in the afternoon if you can!
They May Have Cracked the Code
Studying isn’t easy, especially considering the jump between high school and college does come with a lot more reading and a lot more independent studying.
How do you keep yourself motivated when there isn’t a day of review games in class before the test? Well, you have to find ways to incentivize yourself! This student may have cracked the code with the decision to put down a gummy reward for every section that they read in their textbook.
We May Have Been Lied To
While there might be more studying, not everything about what your high school teachers warn you against in college is true. You’ve probably heard teachers warning about strict college professors.
The truth is that college professors often treat their students as, well, the adults that they are. That means that there isn’t the same level of micromanagement. Sometimes, that’s great – but other times, you might remember how much more immediately incentivized you were to go to class when your parents were there to tell you what to do.
Honestly, Online Classes Have Their Benefits
By and large, you can wear almost anything you want to class in college. However, some professors do want you to dress as you would in your career. If your class is online, though, you can get away with a halfway effort.
After all, no one is going to make you stand up and prove that you’re actually wearing your whole outfit. Plus, if you’re learning in your own house, you should get the chance to be a bit more comfortable than in a lecture hall!
No, That’s Mine!
Growing up, you probably had an assigned seat in school, and you probably weren’t too happy about it. In college, the story is a bit different.
While most college professors don’t have assigned seating for their students, you probably start to think of a seat that you sit in every day as “your” seat. That might even lead you to get a little defensive if someone “stole” that seat from you partway through the semester.
Genius But Really Upsetting
One of the things about college and dorm living is that your resources really are limited. We aren’t talking about limited funds and getting creative there, either.
Instead, we’re talking about how limited you are on what you can have in your dorm and how most don’t have a stove in sight. So, how do you warm up your hot dogs? We guess this is technically clever, but there’s something truly sickening about looking at this image. Is this really better than microwaving them?
You Really Learn How to Save Money
Since we mentioned it, though, we should really talk about how broke most college students are. Not only are you just starting out in life, but college isn’t cheap either!
That might mean you want to make the most of the resources on campus, like the dining hall or the gym. This student wasn’t going to even let the water go without making sure they got their fair share. Honestly, this is a pretty impressive system they have going here.
It’s All About Making Do
As we discussed, college is hard because you’re just starting out in life. So, you might not have all the furniture you want or need when you move into your first place.
These students went to college, and then they realized that they were missing something important – a trash can. Instead of “wasting” those few dollars on a new one, they decided that they didn’t really need this stool, and it looked reversible enough to work.
It’ll Make You Think Outside of the Box
Of course, they aren’t the only college students to ever have clever thoughts about making it work with what you have. This one is great for saving space, too.
This guy left an empty dresser drawer that could double as a dining room table and a coffee table in front of the TV. Dorms don’t have a lot of room, so we can’t blame him! It looks like it’s working out pretty well for him, even if the angle of the screen doesn’t look super comfortable.
Make Your Own Vacation Spot
With just about no money to spend and a surplus of classes to attend, you have to find your own ways to relax. It’s important to find time to relax despite the stress, too.
Even if you can’t get away from the library, what’s to say that you can’t make the most of it? Not to mention, any college student can appreciate the idea of bringing your own seating to the library when you’re studying for finals because that place is probably packed.
That’s One Way Not to Snooze
Okay, we know that we talked about how hard those early morning classes are, but this might be extreme. Honestly, it’s also one college experience you can have now if you have a morning shift.
With this modified alarm clock, reaching over to smash the snooze button will only make waking up all the more unpleasant. We aren’t sure exactly how desperate you have to be to do this, but we’ve never been there.
Learning First Aid on Your Own
As you grow up, if you get hurt, your parents probably swoop in with a solution. Even as a teenager, you rely on them to buy first aid items and for advice.
Even if you can call your mom up and check in on the best course of treatment, her recommendation of icing your ankle doesn’t necessarily make an ice pack appear in your room. Luckily, you can grab something from your freezer and make do, like Fla-Vor-Ice popsicles.
Putting That Creative Thinking to Use
When you’re in college, you’re supposed to let your innovative thinking shine. Not only do you want to show your professors your skills, but now is the time to really start honing those skills seriously.
This guy was making sure that he flexed his creative muscles when he was out of class as well. You can see that here – with the genius idea to use his sweatshirt as a bowl instead of dirtying up actual dishes.
We Can Make This Work
You only have so many hours in the day and when you aren’t in class or studying, you just want to take a minute to relax.
Believe it or not, this chair was in the dorm for four days when this guy decided to work smarter – not harder – to have a seat. Then again, we’re not so sure that it’s quite as comfortable as the chair would be or that the cost of this purchase was worth just using it as a box.
In Front of the Bed
When you’re in college, you can fall asleep just about anywhere. This is true whether you spend the whole night studying or if you’re more about the social aspect of college.
No matter what the reason is, we have a few questions here. We’ll give it to her – as far as soft places to be, packing peanuts are there to offer a box some more cushion. Then again, we’re pretty confused because it looks like there’s an empty bed right behind her.
A New Idea Around Loft Beds
College students are no strangers to the idea of a loft bed. In fact, it’s not an uncommon feature in a dorm room to fit two beds and two desks into a relatively small space. So, why can’t you use that same idea in your own home?
Odds are, your first apartment won’t be very large. That being said, we don’t usually see a piece of loft furniture like this. We guess it works, but we hope it’s sturdier than the average loft bed if it’s going to hold a whole couch and person.
The Best We’ve Been at Listening
Honestly, not everyone – nearly anyone – can keep up perfect listening skills the whole time during every lecture throughout the year. It’s just not possible to never get distracted.
On the contrary, there are times when just about everyone perks up and listens to what the professor is saying. A pretty good example of that is when you’re sweating over the answer to the test and you hear the telltale sound of your professor helping out another student.
Getting Closer to the WiFi
When you have as little money as the average college student, budgeting isn’t something that’s very fun. It can mean cutting out amenities you’d love to have.
In this case, though, this guy figured out exactly how to get his assignments done without paying a dime for WiFi. Lucky for him, the upstairs neighbor didn’t use a password and had unlimited WiFi. We’d have to guess that doing your assignments up there would save you on a gym membership, too!
It’s All About Wording
Plagiarism is a big deal in school and, oftentimes, outside of it as well. It’s one of the few offenses that can really change the trajectory of your academic career, depending on the severity of it.
So, you’ll often hear from professors that you can use the textbook to get information, but it shouldn’t be a word-for-word rendition when it comes to how you answer the question. How do you make an essay like that work? There are a few ways, but wordplay is a good one.
Wow, I Don’t Feel More Well
There are a few things that colleges do that can help lower students’ stress. For instance, there are many days during testing seasons when students can hang out with therapy dogs for a bit.
There are some animals that just aren’t suited to that sort of work, though. It’s hard to think of a worse option than a goose without getting into an animal that would eat you. We wonder what poor soul is in the photos for this joke.
That Wasn’t Supposed to Stay In
There are some things that you write in an essay draft that you write just to entertain yourself or blow off some steam so that you don’t quit writing on the spot.
On the other hand, that really only works out in your favor if you actually remember that this copy is the draft and all of those notes need to be taken out before you turn it in. So many students have forgotten that last step, much to their immediate dismay.
This is Going to Take More Than Studying
Some tests are harder than others. That might just go for the whole class rather than a single test, especially when you come to the final boss of the final exam.
It might lead you to look for hope just about anywhere, even if that means trying to see if maybe magic is real or that you actually can summon a college demon to ace the exam for you. This guy seems to be ready with everything he needs to give it a try.
What’s Happening Here?
It takes a second to realize what’s happening here. Even when you do, you realize that this is the sort of idea that only a college student could concoct.
If you still aren’t sure, these guys are having an old-school LAN party but they’ve run out of room. Given the empty folding chair in the background, we have to wonder why this is duct taped to the sealing to create room in the small space.
Oh, Thanks for That
When a big test is coming up, you might start to really sweat about what you need to know and what you’ll just waste your time trying to memorize right now.
That’s where a study guide comes in handy. That is, if the professor gives you a study guide that actually helps you know what’s on the test. What’s the point of it at all if you don’t see any of it on the test? Is it torture?
Why Are You Calling Me Out?
This one brings to mind an old saying – “Don’t throw stones in glass houses.” Clearly, if you do, you’re only going to break both of the houses.
This person had some nerve trying to put their friend on blast for posting on their Instagram story during class. However, the friend in question couldn’t help but wonder how exactly she would know that unless she was also on her phone during class. Interesting.
You Can’t Really Expect to Study Now
When you’re determined to study, there’s no promise that there won’t be any distractions in your environment, even if you try to make sure that you’re just focusing on your work.
For instance, who are you to disturb a cute hedgehog when he’s decided that he’s going to plop down and stare at you like this until it gets the pets that he deserves? All you can really do at that point is take a break and give him attention.
Finding a Balance
If you’re a dedicated student, it’s easy to get so caught up in classes and studying that you don’t have the time for the social part of college or the events that make memories.
This girl was trying to strike a balance but it’s one that still seems pretty stressful. She’s working in the middle of a football game. We don’t know what’s more impressive – that she’s that dedicated and can focus in this environment or that she can see the screen at all.
Nothing Can Stop Them
We’ve already talked about how you make do with what you have when you’re in college. When you’re missing the basics, sometimes you surprise yourself.
For example, who hasn’t moved into somewhere new with a meal only to realize that they forgot that they don’t own silverware? We guess there weren’t any plastic spoons around for this person, so they decided to do their best with what they had. Like we said, college students are pretty innovative.
Doing Your Due Diligence
Now that we have newer technology, taking notes doesn’t have to be a handwritten race to determine who can get carpal tunnel syndrome first while they earn their degree.
Instead, it’s easy to type them up as you go or, even easier, take pictures as the class goes along if your professor allows it. Of course, then it’s up to you to actually go back and look at those pictures, much less study them before the test rolls around.
We’re on a Tight Schedule
As we’ve covered time and time again, time is a rare commodity when you’re in college. Not only are large chunks of your time cut out to working and going to class – but there’s studying, sleeping, eating, and, hopefully, time to relax.
That means you have to account for nearly every second of your schedule, and it’s exhausting. Did this guy come up with the healthiest method of dealing with his emotions? We aren’t sure about all of that, but we do know that he has efficiency down to a T.
You Get to Know Each Other Fast
When you have classes often with other students, you get to know each other quickly. However, you can also lose touch with those people just as quickly.
That’s pretty well encapsulated in this short text conversation. It might have taken her a few hours to respond, but she was honest about the situation. While she doesn’t go into a lot of detail, she’s so to the point and casual about it that it’s hard to know what to say.
Unmatched Camraderie
The teamwork among college students is pretty unmatched, too. It’s like being in the trenches really makes the vast majority of them come in clutch in a pinch.
For example, college students are quick to ask each other to watch their bag in the library, regardless of whether they know each other or not. Here, these two go the extra mile with camaraderie that you don’t often see between friends, much less perfect strangers.
Where Else Can You Find These Theatrics?
While professors have a much different relationship with their students – and a much different budget – than the average high school teacher, you can expect that to be used in unexpected ways sometimes.
This professor could have simply told the class he was disappointed in their test scores. That being said, would it have been quite as impactful as dragging a casket in and planning a funeral for yourself because the test scores were so bad they killed you? We don’t think so.
You Learn About Acceptance
When you get to college, you might have the same expectations of yourself and the letter grade you receive as when you were in high school.
That’s great to strive for, but you have to give yourself some grace as you adapt! Plus, some classes are just going to be harder than others, and you will do what you can to make it through. In other words, you have to learn not to tear yourself up over the questions you missed.
It’s Never Too Late
Just because you don’t graduate doesn’t mean you can’t show up to graduation, right? It’s a great way to support your classmates and friends you’ve made along the way.
This guy showed us that there wasn’t anything stopping you from blending into the crowd of students. On the other hand, most people would wonder why you’d spend the money to do this – it’s not like they’re going to call your name to walk if you never attended here.
