Over the next several weeks, class of 2015, you will be bombarded by new names, faces and Facebook friends, all spanning a wide range of ethnic, socioeconomic, geographic and cultural backgrounds. But despite this rich diversity, some like-minded types seem to pop up all over campus every year. With that in mind, here are five people that you are certain to come across in your freshman dorm.
The “I Love Stanford!” Kid
Not of the Asher Roth variety, though that frat-party-loving “I Love College!” kid can be found in large droves as well. You may have picked some of them out even before stepping foot on campus this fall: that guy who insta-friended everyone from the class of 2015 Facebook group or that girl who organized a group fountain-hopping excursion during Admit Weekend. Thrilled by the onslaught of icebreakers and summer camp-esque dorm cheers, these exuberant Stanford-loving souls will be the same students who go on to join Axe Committee, run for Frosh Council and participate constantly in IHUM section.
The Student-Athlete
Though none of you will have the good fortune of claiming shared freshman-dorm residency with superhuman Andrew Luck himself (shout out to Roble 2008-09), your halls will undoubtedly host a handful of student-athletes. Recognizable by a seemingly endless supply of red, black and white Nike apparel, the student-athlete will be one of the few regular attendees at breakfast outside of finals week because, unlike the rest of us, they have to be up at that ungodly hour for practice. And you may as well leave the “dumb jock” moniker behind with your high school girlfriend — that cross-country runner in the front row will probably set the curve on the Econ 1A midterm.
The Brilliant Slacker
This guy (or girl) tends to choose sleeping until noon and smoking by Lake Lag over attending lecture, yet he still manages to make you feel intellectually inferior every time you interact. In addition to his plans to be pre-med or go for a physics major (what’s the rush to declare?), he can also play a classical instrument, effortlessly quote Dostoevsky and ignite intense philosophical debates all while regularly using an abundance of recreational drugs and talking about that time he got arrested in high school.
The Hallmate You Never Saw After NSO
Some Stanford students are less into the whole dorm-camaraderie thing than others, but this hallmate takes it to the extreme — either he is never around or he never leaves. Whether it’s spending long hours in the library, becoming fully engrossed in a student group, hanging out with a newly discovered romantic interest across campus or only emerging to grab a to-go tray from the dining hall, this student could care less about hall gatherings (let alone dorm socializing), and those beyond your floor probably won’t know much about this mysterious stranger come June.
The Well-Rounded Types
And then there are the rest of us — you know, the kids who got four-point-somethings, played a varsity sport or two, boasted a smattering of leadership roles and community service projects and maybe won some neat awards here and there. While some administrator inevitably gives that NSO speech rattling off fun tidbits about your new compatriots — the one where you learn that one of your classmates is a New York Times bestselling author and another is developing a cure for AIDS — you may be squirming in your seat wondering which admission officer messed up letting you join such elite company. Fear not, young freshman. You may be less average than you think.