College Student Etiquette
Being a college student can be the time of your life, but be careful you don’t develop some bad habits. Modern Manners Guy has 3 tips for proper etiquette in college, and beyond.
Richie Frieman
Listen
College Student Etiquette
Since the annual March Madness is now upon us, college life and college students are front and center. Between working on your grades, deciding what you’re going to do with your life, and, of course, partying, the balancing act of college can be tough. So I’m pretty sure that manners and etiquette take a backseat. And with all the college buzz in the air, I thought I’d offer my younger readers a chance to reflect on their college lives, and my graduated readers to consider their past college experiences.
Proper College Student Etiquette
There are two images that flash across the mind when you think of college students: the studious and the party animal. You want to believe that most will take the studious route, rather than the one paved with red Solo cups and bad decisions documented on Facebook. But who are we kidding? College is a blast and you can easily combine good grades with an active social life, if you keep your manners and etiquette intact.
So before you pull an all-nighter, check out my top 3 Quick and Dirty Tips for proper college student etiquette:
Tip #1 – Too Cool For School
When I was in college, I thought I knew everything, I was on the right track, and couldn’t wait to get into the real world…because I knew so much and was on the right track and all. Sadly, it took all of one month in the real world, with a job that third world sweatshop workers would turn down, for me to realize that I knew nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I respected and valued everything about college and understood that it’s because of my education that I felt confident to face the world. But sadly, many of my classmates did not take advantage of school in the same way. Not only did they not value their education, but they also thought they were too cool for school, which they learned the hard way, was the wrong attitude to have.
I am well aware that college is not easy (unless you are Division 1 basketball or football player, in which case it’s pretty much like an episode of Entourage 24/7). But while in school, sometimes we’d much rather blow off class and take a spontaneous road trip to Atlantic City from College Park, Maryland at 2AM even though we have a test the next day (not that I know anyone who did that…). So my message to my college friends is this: When you are considering doing something you know is a bad idea, take a step back and reevaluate the situation. You can’t play the “I’m just a kid” card, and the “I know what I’m doing” card at the same time. You are not too cool for school – trust me. You have no idea how far off you are.
Tip #2 – Relationships
I have some teenage and college-age relatives in my family who enjoy updating me on their hard-partying lives, while I wince in pain and embarrassment. From bragging about how much they drank in one night, to who they’re dating (for now), there’s never a dull moment when it comes to college life relationships. Everything is documented on social media, by the minute. That’s all fine and good, until you consider that burning through relationships at warp speed – both romantic and casual – will only fuel bad manners habits that will leave you clueless in the real world. If you can’t value real relationships when you are in college, don’t think you will grasp it once the diploma is handed to you.Â
Constantly flipping through random relationships leads to a number of defective social skills that are hard to shake. I’m not saying that every single friend you make in class or every random late night hook-up at the Delta Beta Whocarezuh house is going to be in your life forever. Even if you treat college as your own personal playground, that’s your prerogative, but the point here is that properly handling social relationships in college will most likely result in how you handle them outside college as well.
When you come across someone in college that you welcome into your social life, treat them with respect. It sounds old-school but you have no idea how true that is. You don’t have to be in love or be best friends—just don’t be a jerk. Not only will you risk running into them later in life (which you will, trust me, it’s a small world) but if you don’t respect those around you, and feel that you are above everyone else, the real world will beat you to a bloody pulp.Â
Bottom line: That geeky kid you treated like a punching bag in college may one day be sitting across from you, interviewing you for a job. Trust me, they’ll remember you, and it will not end well.
Tip #3 – Become the Talk of the Town
Whether you were Mr./Ms. Personality or the quietest person in the class, your high school persona goes out the window once you’re in college. College is a chance to open up, and either change who you were or enhance your best qualities. You get to meet people from all over the world that you may never have before, and that allows you to grow and develop into a better person. If you live your life isolated, you can’t ever evolve and when you allow yourself the chance to discover new things, you will be amazed at what you find.
So I recommend you become the man or woman about town. Join groups, hit the gym, meet as many people as possible, form a study group, you name it. College gives you the opportunity to explore a whole new world of possibilities, if you allow yourself to.
When it comes to college life, break out of your shell or if you’ve already broken free, use that to your advantage. Think of it like a networking event, except it’s 4 years long.
Do you have a great story about improper college student etiquette? Post all the details in Comments below.Â
As always, if you have another manners question, I look forward to hearing from you at manners@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email. Check out my Modern Manners Guy Facebook page, follow me on Twitter @MannersQDT. And of course, check back next week for more Modern Manners Guy tips.
Â
Image courtesy of Shutterstock