I have already expressed my undying love for Man Repeller on this platform before, but seriously if you haven’t already checked out their website do yourself a solid and do so now. Of the many amazing articles that they publish weekly, one that particularly stood out to me (and by that I mean had me doubled over in laughter) was “9 Really Specific Things That Make Me Feel Grown Up” by Nora Taylor. Even though I am 20-years-old, I don’t identify quite yet as an adult, but I am a college student. Thus, I have decided to recreate Taylor’s fabulous article through the lense of college. I hope you can relate, or at least spurr some laughter, otherwise this could get awkward.
1.Owning a mini fridge and actually putting more items in there besides a sad apple from the dining hall
I came to college my first year equipped with all of the necessities: a bathroom caddy, mattress pad, and mini fridge. However, living in a quad didn’t exactly lend to having complete control over the items in my fridge. More than once I bought a box of strawberries only to have the sticky juice from a pickle jar drip onto my berries because one of my roommates left it on its side. After that, I gave up on having the fridge space as my own and let it exist as a communal freezer.
That being said, I have lived in a single my sophomore and junior year which has given me the freedom to stock up on all the berries, avocados (because being in college doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself to avocado toast once in a while), yogurt, and whatever else strikes my fancy. The moment I had free range on what I put in my fridge, I felt like a true adult. No, I felt like a real college student.
2.Realizing you don’t have to go to every party at college to avoid FOMO
Contrary to what you may think, college isn’t just a string of parties and many upperclassmen reveal that by their senior year, they no longer have a strong desire to go to parties on a Saturday night. Instead, they curl up on their couch and watch a movie with their friends. As a first semester junior, I am beginning to see the merit in this choice and am (albeit slowly) arriving at the conclusion that there comes a point when every party begins to feel like the last one, and not going to the concert this weekend really wouldn’t be the end of the world.
Although Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), is compounded tenfold while at college, nevermind as a twenty-year-old living in the social media era, the moment you are able to be confident in your choice of staying in for the night, the stress and fear of missing a small blip in your life in the grand scheme of things, will cease to exist and you can finally enjoy binge watching Friends without any doubt.
3.Being able to fall asleep to the lull of someone’s loud (and annoying) music they are blaring while taking a shower (probably without adjusting the curtain so the bathroom floods)
I tried to placate my worries of falling asleep in a dorm by telling myself I could fall asleep easier when there was some light noise in the background. By my sound logic, this would mean that there was someone else still up so no need to fear the dark). This did not stand the test my first week of college while I tried to read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban while my other roommates were blaring music while getting ready for the night. By now you can get a sense of who I was (and kind of still am) as a college student.
Thus, sophomore year I came prepared to school with earbuds and headphones to block out any noise I deemed unsuitable for my beauty sleep. These gadgets blocked out music, loud voices, and other mysterious sounds I chose not to analyze. However, wearing earbuds to bed almost every night really hurts and by the end of the year I had pretty much given up on the whole concept and found a way to just deal with the noise.
By junior year, I can turn these sounds into a classical symphony of waves crashing on the shore while I fall into slumberland. Fun fact, this life hack is beneficial in a more academic setting as well. For example: when you really want to write your English paper in a coffee closet because that would be on brand, but the kids next to you are talking really loudly about their night.
4.Wearing my Conn crewneck sweatshirt on a Sunday night
I will admit that I was not always happy at Conn and even considered to transfer (which believe it or not, more students think than you may believe). However, once Conn began to feel like home I invested in more than the basic t-shirt I wore for senior college shirt day in high school #tbt.
One Sunday night not too long ago, I pulled on my crewneck Conn sweatshirt I bought at the campus bookstore at the end of last semester. I wore the sweatshirt to my meetings that night (including for Her Campus Conn Coll) and I felt proud to be sporting clothing that supported my school. Even though this may come across a bit colt-ish, I was not comfortable wearing Conn garb before this moment because I wasn’t sure if I was a camel. The moment you can wear college garb with a sense of pride and belonging, is when you realize you are where you are meant to be.
5.Staying up till 3 AM talking with my best friends talking about crushes, TV, and Floralia
I apologize for yet another somewhat cliché college moment, but bare with me. Freshmen year, I was still trying to find “my group,” figure out what I wanted to study, and who I was. By the end of sophomore year, I had found a group of wonderful friends who loved and supported me and I felt the same way right back at them. You can imagine then, the love I feel when we ditch a Floralia after party to talk about Netflix dramas we love and vent about our high school and college crushes. Although this is a stereotypical movie-esque moment, it brings a smile to my face to finally feel like I have shared a moment with my friends that wasn’t scheduled or written down in our calendars, but just happened spontaneously. Staying up late sharing embarrassing moments and secrets you never thought would leave your lips is another great alternative to yet another Saturday night out.
There are plenty of more random, obscure moments when collegehood ran true for me, but these five are what comes to mind. If you are looking for an amusing way to procrastinate your work or feel a little less sad on a rainy day, think back to those college moments that put a smile on your face when you didn’t think such a thing was possible.