Niamh Crosbie looks at the strange things that make you popular in college…
College is a strange little unit in a world already full to bursting with nonsense – and you know what’s even stranger? College students. Those guys are into all sorts. And I’m on a mission to find out exactly what you need to know so that you can make interesting conversations, look blend in, salve and have them chanting “One of us!” in no time.
Despite popular belief, it’s handy to have more than a run-down on the week’s chart toppers, or an in-depth knowledge of the Breaking Bad finale. Being in college means that a lot of things that were considered socially unacceptable, are now some of the best ways to make friends with some of the coolest people you will meet during your time here.
[The-Nerdy-Stuff -You’re-Not-Supposed-To-Like.] As a young one you swore you’d take it to the grave. You couldn’t bring yourself to ever destroy the evidence, but you hid it away. You know what I’m talking about. That comic book. Those movies. That card game. Newsflash – this is college. That stuff is awesome now. Watching Star Wars a hundred times or collecting Pokemon cards just means that you had a cooler childhood than most. You feel that? That’s your inner nerd. Let it out.
[Classic Literature.] English literature student or future doctor, mature student or genius fourteen-year-old, chances are you’ll be able to name who wrote Alice in Wonderland, swoon over your favourite portrayal of Mr. Darcy or Mr. Rochester, or, at the very least, rant about how Shakespeare destroyed your life. Love it or hate it, great literature isn’t going anywhere in our lifetime.
[Food.] During those awkward teenage years, there’s a bit of a deliberate avoidance of the topic of food. I don’t think anybody really knows why. Paranoia about weight gain, or being labelled a ‘hom,’ no doubt. But those days are long gone. In college, food is no longer needed only for sustenance (or for spending unholy amounts of money on). It is something much, much more – whether you’re a genius in the kitchen or decide to set out with your buddies in search of the most exotic dishes known to Dublin. Top tip – be friends with a guy who knows about food. You will not regret it.
[Cartoons, and Disney movies.] And no, I don’t mean the ridiculous fluff they’re churning out by the hour for the next generation. I’m talking about the good stuff we grew up with. You will, at one point or another, find yourself and your friends deep in conversation about the fascinating cross-references in Disney-Pixar movies, looking back on Ed, Edd and Eddie with nostalgia, or belting out the theme tune to Phineas and Ferb or the Teletubbies on your way home at three o’clock in the morning. So brush up on your cartoon and Disney knowledge – this is ten times more crucial than that MCQ you have next week.
