Melanie Wolf
Contributing Writer
Nobody likes to be grouped into a stereotype, but sometimes the truth just speaks for itself, a definite case on the North Central College campus. There are certain types of people that you can always expect to encounter during your time in college. Whether you end up rooming with them, partying with them or just simply having to deal with them in Psychology 101, stereotypes within college majors show up sooner or later.
1. Free-Thinkers
These kinds of students, such as art, history, philosophy or English majors, will always seem to be a little bit too cool for you. They have a supposedly unique mindset and college has given them the freedom to fully bloom as an individual. They typically be seen wearing sweater vests, bow ties, boat shoes and horn-rimmed glasses not for the style, but because they are retro. Their favorite word is “ironic”, and they use it with great effect in class to let their peers know that nothing they say is meant to be taken completely seriously. These iconoclasts question everything while always having the last word in any discussion spoken in a mellow and introspective voice. Look for these free thinkers not in a Starbucks, but in an underground, little-known, organic coffee shop where they fiercely blog their thoughts and feelings on WordPress or tweeting constantly from their smartphones.
2. The Great Participators
You’ll remember these students in every single class you take throughout college. Great participators have an answer, comment or opinion for every question, whether it’s right or wrong. This can vary from constantly agreeing with the professor by personally relating to what is being said or disagreeing for the sake of an argument. If they are a member of any gender, cultural, political, or geographical group, then they will always find a way to connect any point made in class to their background. They’ll keep their hands up for so long they will have body-builder-toned arms by the end of the term.
3. The Vampires
These students may live on your floor, but you probably will never see them after the first mandatory hall meeting. They are almost always a pre-medicine, engineer, architecture or computer science major, and they will never leave their room if they can help it. The blinds are always drawn while the only noise coming from their silent, tomb-like room is the constant sound of clicking laptop keys. These vampires exist solely off Pop-Tarts and Red Bull and it is impossible to tell whether these students ever sleep. If you’re lucky, then you may see them venture out of their lair, but will always have an 8 a.m. lab or a project that keeps them locked in their rooms until the wee hours of the morning. It will be tough to catch a glimpse of this elusive species.
4. The Future Masters of the Universe
College, for these students, is just one stop on the way to the real world whether it’s a career in finance, business, medicine or law. These students will spend every waking moment talking about the internships they applied for, comparing GPAs and eyeing over grad-school acceptance books. You’ll see them strolling around campus in three-piece suits and furiously emailing on their smartphones while gracefully balancing their venti-sized black coffees. These students may never attend class, participate or pay attention, but they will find a way to achieve an “A” that will buy them a ticket straight into a high-paying, corporate position.
Yes, there are always going to be different “types” of people at college. But that doesn’t mean you have to adhere to one group. In the words of Jay-Z and Kanye West: “Ain’t nobody fresher than my clique.”
