University, in particular Fresher’s Week, is an interesting time. It is a time where hordes of young people from up and down the country are crammed into halls together and forced to integrate. Most of the week will be made up of awkward interactions and excessive politeness during the days, and awkward dancing and excessive amounts of alcohol during the nights. However, as the dust from Fresher’s Week settles and normal life resumes, most will ease into their true personalities. These are a selection of the most common characters you will encounter during your time at University.

The Lad – Easily identifiable by the snapback cap and University Sports hoody, the ‘lads’ are currently one of the most common characters gracing Universities up and down the country. The ‘lad’ will always be part of a sports team, and will always be up for ‘a bit of banter’. Generally prefers to be naked, and will stop at nothing at trying to get other people naked. Rugby lads in particular have a particular penchant for nudity. The ‘lad’ be at the weekly Students Union club night without fail, will most likely be dressed up in a group, and will most likely be chanting loudly about their sports team, or halls, or whatever. Preferred course is Sports Science and preferred drink is whatever’s easiest to down.

The Hipster– Arguably the opposite of the ‘lad’, the ‘hipster’ would never be seen dead at a Student Union club night, and if they were there, it would be ironically. The ‘hipster’ will generally prefer clubs off the beaten track, and will love open mic nights as it gives them a chance to showcase that rad new trip-hop track they’ve been working on. Often dressed in baggy jumpers, loud shirts, and skinny jeans. Preferred course is History of Art or Photography and preferred drink is drugs.

The Keener – The ‘keener’, for lack of a better term, is someone you will identify very early on, as they will be that person telling you their ambitions for the year within the first half hour of meeting them. They will generally stop at nothing to make the most of University. The ‘keener’ will undoubtedly become course rep, and will be the one constantly posting on the society Facebook page about upcoming events, and about how you should ‘get involved’. The ultimate ambition for the keener is President of the Student Union, something only a rare few will accomplish, most make do with titles such as ‘City Liaison Officer’. The ‘keeners’ will be ones harassing you to vote for them a few weeks every year in the student elections. Preferred course is Media and preferred drink is a cool beer after a hard day of campaigning.

The Waster – The ‘waster’ will often have come to University because they didn’t really know what else to do, so they thought they may as well. Lecture attendance will generally be somewhere between 10% and 40%, anything above 50% and the title of ‘waster’ is revoked. The ‘waster’ will always start assignments the night before they’re due, and will often suggest going to the pub for a few pints halfway through the assignment, because ‘they could do with a break’. Often hard to identify as they take various shapes and forms, but it’s generally a safe bet that you will only see them when they’ve turned up to take an exam. Preferred course is History/English due the amount of ‘independent learning’, and preferred drink is a well-deserved pint after a difficult 200 word introduction.

The Part-Timer – The ‘part-timer’, similarly to the ‘waster’, is rarely seen, yet for different reasons. These are students which will often turn up to lectures and seminars, yet will almost never be seen at social events. They mostly live off campus in their parent’s house and commute to University. Often the more introverted type, they will have chosen this lifestyle due to their apprehension to live in halls (hard to blame them). Preferred course is whatever their parents can help them with and preferred drink is Coca-Cola.

These are just a few of the types of people you may meet at University, my main point is that University is one of the few times in your life when you will have the chance to meet a huge array of different characters and personalities. A lot of the people you meet you will only talk to once, some will become acquaintances, and some will become friends for life. The best advice I can give is to have an open mind when meeting new people, and meet a lot you will at University.