As college students, we’re asked the same questions so often that the answers become almost routine. Whether we’re visiting relatives, starting a new job or getting readjusted to campus life when fall semester starts, we’re bound to be asked these same annoying questions. Every time college students are asked any of these seemingly basic questions, it causes us to reevaluate our life decisions and probably have a small breakdown as we’re reminded that we have absolutely no idea what we’re doing. Although we college students don’t have it all figured out yet, we’re pretty certain about one thing: These questions must be stopped.
1. “What’s your major?”
We were asked this question before starting college, we’re asked it a million times during college and we will be asked it after we leave college. We are tired of answering it. And we might not even know the answer, reminding us that we’re spending lots of money to learn about subjects that might not even matter to us in the future. Asking about our majors is like asking, “What career field have you chosen to fund the next 50 years of your life and your children’s lives?” Save us the stress.
2. “What are you planning to do with that degree?“
Most of us chose our majors because we’re passionate about that subject and we’re hoping to get a job within that field. Self-explanatory. You can skip this question.
3. “What are your plans for after graduation?“
Before asking a college student this question, think: What are the likely answers? A) Get a job or B) go back to school. There are of course many other answers, such C) travel or D) move to a new city or E) move back in with your parents. But no one wants to talk about the price of travel or the embarrassment of living with your parents because you couldn’t get a job in the field you paid thousands of dollars to study. Let’s just assume the answer is A or B and forget this question.
4. “Aren’t you worried about finding a job?“
Yes. Yes, we are. Next.
5. “How are you planning to pay for school?”
Talking about money is always an awkward topic, and it’s even worse for college students beginning their independent lives with debt reaching five or six figures. This horrible question either reminds college students that they’ll be broke for a long time or creates a status of superiority for whomever is better off financially.
6. “How was your break?“
Returning from a holiday break and running into old friends on campus can be really fun, but does anyone really care about the hours we spent binge watching Netflix and eating pasta? No! My break was probably fine; Your break was probably fine. But they’re both over. Skip this question.
7. “Where are you living?“
Like the boroughs of New York City, there is a reputation that comes with each territory of college campuses. Whether you’re in the dorms or in an apartment, telling someone where you live gives him or her more information than just an address—it allows people to assume your budget, your lifestyle and your aesthetic. By simply telling someone the name of a building, he or she has probably crafted an idea of you in his or her mind, when in reality, you just picked your apartment building because it was close enough to campus for you to take naps in between classes.
8. “Do you like living in the dorms?“
Dorm life is pretty similar for most people, so this question doesn’t really need to be asked. The food isn’t amazing, random roommates are hit or miss and communal bathrooms are never fun. The answer will just be along the lines of, “I had a fun time, but I’m glad it’s over (or soon to be over).”
9. “Do you get along with your roommate?“
If the answer to this question is yes, it’s probably fine. But most roommates don’t have flawless relationships, and it becomes awkward to answer this question because you have to explain why you don’t get along. This just turns into bashing on every thing your roommate has ever done wrong, getting on a personal level really fast. No one wants to get into that. Just don’t ask this question.
10. “How often do you study?“
No matter how often we study, having to answer this question only makes college students think of all the studying we should be doing at that moment but aren’t. Don’t remind us!
11. “Do you go out a lot?“
We don’t like to answer this question because we’ll either be seen as a Goody Two-shoes or a party animal. Once we answer this question, a reputation begins to form. We all like to have fun. Some people do this in different ways than others. We only get a few years to live the college lifestyle, and we don’t want to be judged for it. Next question!
12. “So, what do you do in your free time?“
This question is the worst. If you choose to be honest, people will know you spend your free time watching Gossip Girl reruns, eating too much dining-hall ice cream and trying to find cute Tinder matches. For most of us, there’s simply no way to make our lives sound exciting when any free time we have is spent scrolling for hours on Tumblr.
You’re probably wondering what questions are even left to ask college students now that the basic ones are off-limits. Well, here’s one to start you off: “Wanna go to Chipotle?” Works every time.