It's no question that college students are, without a doubt, their own species.
College is a time when young adults are trying to balance basic survival skills with planning their entire future. This crazy mashup of priorities pushes students to do some pretty crazy things. Adulting is hard, and sometimes, you just have to take chances.
All in all, college kids are weird AF. We put our bodies through absolute hell, we ignore most (if not all) of our problems and we do it all while still getting to a 9 am class the next day (sometimes).
Don't believe me? Just try to tell me you haven't done any of these five things, and then, we'll talk:
1. Skip looking both ways when crossing the street
The stress of college life can seep into even the strongest of minds, and running on a little bit of sleep and a lot of caffeine has a way of making us pretty irrational.
Many campuses are adorned with crosswalks galore, and you have to admit — whether during an intense finals week or a dreary Monday morning when you were running late — you've thought about getting hit by a car or a cyclist in a last-ditch effort to get free tuition or get out of a test.
Now, most college kids aren't serious, but busy schedules and anxiety-ridden minds don't mind taking their chances when it comes to darting out into the street.
2. Accept freebies from any source
Whether you're tight on cash or just too lazy to cook, free food is always the answer. And to a college student, food is what makes the world go around.
Taking a chance on a sketchy egg roll would be viewed as a calculated risk by anyone more than a semester into college.
The appeal of free giveaways doesn't end with food, either. College kids in the wild will accept clothes, school supplies, furniture – really anything that helps to keep a roof over their heads. Once you hit 18, there's a primal instinct that yearns for freebies. It's science.
3. Ignore their bank account balance
Have you ever been out to dinner or the movies, and the cashier tells you how much something costs, and you have no idea if your card will clear?
There is always that second of hesitation before you take the leap and just give the cashier your card anyway.
Did that new sweater, tank of gas or impulse 80-count pack of Lindor truffles max out my account? Well, once you commit to taking the chance, you experience a tiny rush, as someone pulling off a bank heist might experience.
All in all, when it comes to bank accounts, many college kids feel that ignorance is bliss, at least until your luck runs out.
4. Meet up with Tinder dates
It's 2017. We fly drones, talk to Alexa and start our cars with a button... and swipe left and right on potential mates.
Older generations tend to look down Tinder. But to college kids, it's a fun game of romantic Russian Roulette.
Plus, in a world of uncertainty and taking chances, Tinder seems like an almost natural progression. There is a strong chance most young couples you know today met on the app.
5. Rely on Uber
Uber is one of the newest crazes, and it has taken off within the college-age demographic. But even though Uber is a huge development, it can also be a little on the sketchy side sometimes.
You're basically charting a path with a perfect stranger behind the wheel. Not only are you sharing a tiny space with someone you've never met before, but you might be forced to engage in the horror of all horrors – small talk.
Uber is great on paper, but the hectic schedule and unexpected variables that plague the lives of college students make this mode of transportation a gamble at times.
Who knows? You might meet your soulmate in an uberPOOL or you could be stuck in a car with a grown man who walks around barefoot and tries to braid your hair.
But the thing is, Uber is exactly the kind of risk college students willingly take. Whether you need a designated driver or just a shuttle to the airport, Uber is the perfect fix to replace your flaky friends. You might even end up with a few new ones if you take a long enough drive.
To any sane person, some of the actions college students take to get by seem risky and questionable. But to be completely honest, college is risky and questionable in general.
There are millions of college students around the world riding the struggle bus to I-Really-Hope-This-Works-Out City. So the next time you jaywalk on the way to class while scarfing down a leftover burrito, just know you're not alone.
This article was originally published on Unwritten.
