So, you’re going to The University of Northampton and you want to be prepared for your first semester? Well, you’ll need to know a few things before you go. The first being that the university just to a brand new building, and the second being that literally nobody wanted to deal with the stress of the university to move to a brand new building in the middle of their course, so student-to-staff tension is high among the 2nd and 3rd years.
Oh boy.
In this atmosphere, it’s best to get to know a little about all the different kinds of students you’ll meet whilst you study on campus, so consider this list is your unofficial prospectus for campus life.
Did you know that if you live in Northampton and you attend The University of Northampton, you will receive a grant of an extra £500 every semester?
Well, you will. Because these guys will tell you about it over and over again once they find out you’re not from Northampton.
Thanks guys.
You’re the best.
These guys didn’t get into The Royal Academy of Arts, so now they’re at the University of Northampton instead and want to make it clear – they’re *not* like those other rich kids (plot twist: they are!).
Of course, to qualify as one of these unbearable folks, it’s not as simple as just having money (which is fine as is, honestly). These people will actually *pretend* to be poor in an attempt to seem down to Earth, que talking about shopping for clothes in charity shops and buying food on a student budget, but despite all this, they just can’t hold back from bragging about their brand new Macbook Air that their “Daddy” got them for getting a B+ on their essay.
Prepare to hear classic lines like, “Oh, I’m so broke this year, I am only going on ONE holiday abroad this summer!” …poor you, friend.
Thankfully, most of these guys grow out of this attitude as they live with other people from all across the country and learn about different lifestyles. Just give them time and soon they’ll drop their wealth of ignorance (or is that ignorance of wealth?).
…well, either that or they’ll become one of the #richkidsofinstagram.
If you don’t know what K-Pop is, to be blunt, it’s South Korean pop music. Think of your 2000’s boy bands and girl bands, but with today’s fashion sense.
You can recognise a K-Pop fan from their pastel dyed hair, to their cutesy eye-liner style. They’ll either wear baggy, clean, hip-hop styled clothing, or embrace a more feminine, classically Asian aesthetic reminiscent of more youthful, feminist fashion trends you see on instagram and tumblr, and you’ll always be able to faintly hear their favourite music playing from their headphones whilst they study in the library.
K-Pop fans are aware their music isn’t for everyone and are usually respectful enough to keep their headphones in rather than play music out loud whilst at university, but if anybody insults their music taste online, the fangs will come out in the form of some quick keyboard typing.
These folks are as nice as the rest of them, but whatever you do, don’t insult their favourite “idol” or else you’re asking for a fight. To know who their number 1. “idol” is, just check their phone background.
If you don’t know who they love, just assume it’s Jimin from BTS until further notice.
The University of Northampton has a Korean society which teaches some of the language and shares some of the culture of South Korea, and if you really want to meet a K-Pop fan, this is the place to start looking. You’ll run into them at the University of Northampton for sure.
You’ve probably never met anybody so over-worked in your life (at least that’s what they’ll say). But damn, do they make sleep deprivation and creative anxiety look good, or what?
Folks in the 3rd year Fashion department tend to keep to themselves and are usually close with their tutors, much in contrast to the 1st and 2nd years on the course who still have a social life.
If you want to find a 3rd year Fashion student, then look no farther than the Fashion corridor itself and you will. They will be busy in the daytime, but most of these guys will stay behind late into the night to complete their course work in the studio, They will gladly let you enable their procrastination addiction with a passionate chat about literally anything other than their work.
Follow the sound of shears cutting fabric, yelling, and someone playing Nicki Minaj songs on their phone and you’ll find the flock. Try your luck and you may catch a few of them taking a break from it all in the dead of the night by ordering a takeaway in for dinner, or smoking outside the closest fire exit.
They’ll most likely be talking about famous dead artists you’ve never heard of, the fact that they hate the layout of the new university building, and how the department is seemingly falling apart at the seams every other day.
If you like drinking gallons of coffee and exclusively wearing black, this is the crowd for you.
If you have a little brother or sister who spends all day watching YouTube gaming channels on their tablet, or a friend who was really into watching video game channels in high school, chances are they were watching Dan TDM (a popular British YouTuber) at some point.
Well, that guy used to study at The University of Northampton. So it’s no surprise that there are a few current students at the university who want to cash in on the same kind of fame he’s achieved.
Unfortunately, they’re all no where near as successful and probably won’t be, but regardless, they won’t hesitate to talk to you about their channel and ask you to subscribe to them. They are convinced that they are going to be the next big thing on YouTube (even though they’re doing the same thing as everyone else on that website).
Most of these guys study games design and other artistic, computer oriented degrees. But of course, they don’t accurately represent the majority of the people on those courses, who are generally very down to Earth and chill people. You’ll run into them at the University of Northampton for sure.
If you’re reading this article before starting your 1st year, chances are you are more savvy than the rest of them, but beware of your new classmates. They might just be your typical Clueless 1st Year.
Easily sighted, these guys tend to be fresh out of sixth form at 18-19 years old. They’ll come in on the first week wearing all of their best clothing and make-up, which no doubt took them over an hour to choose in front of the mirror.
Watch how they whip out their laptop and type at lightning speed in their first lecture. Wow.
But don’t take this all to heart. They’re less fake, and more excited and hopeful for their brand new life as a student. Allow them to let out their enthusiasm for the first few week, even if it’s a little irritating.
Their personality will change as well as their attire after the first 3 weeks of putting on their “new me” facade, and once all those first introductions and freshers fests are over, THEN you can finally introduce yourself to the real person who you’ll be studying with for the next 3 years.
Every university has them.
They’ll ask for nudes on snapchat, slide into your Facebook DMs, and heart every selfie you’ve put on instagram for the past month in an effort to woo you. Charming.
If you don’t show them any interest though, don’t worry. They will be quick to move on to the next girl and won’t spend time mourning losing you, though they might send you the odd text to see if you’re “still up?” every now and then.
If you just want to have fun at freshers then these guys know how to party, but if you’re looking for a committed partner at university, best to look elsewhere. You’ll definitely run into them at the University of Northampton.
These people study English Lit, Language, Painting, or Design, and can whittle together beautiful work like a spider to a web.
No matter how gorgeous what they create is, they’ll be quick to disregard it and scrunch it up before throwing it away forever without a second glance. They’re very critical of themselves and of their work and can only ever see the bad things about it courtesy of their sensitive nature.
If you meet a Blind Artist, just let them know gently that you admire what they are doing and assure them to keep it up. Be sure not to tell them you remind of them of another famous artist, or else they may overthink such a statement and feel as though you’re saying they’re ripping them off instead.
If they like you, in spite of their busy schedule, they’ll promise to create some original work for you sometime.
Just don’t be offended when this never actually happens. You’ll definitely run into them at the University of Northampton.
These students have seen too much of the world to stress over pretty class drama anymore.
Usually they act like besties with the tutor, partly due to them being the only people of a similar age group amongst a class of internet savvy, Generation Y students, but if the tutor is significantly younger than they are, this can cause a little tension when they’re given a grade lower than what they feel they deserved.
Don’t feel intimidated with these students if they don’t talk to you at first, as they are at university for the very same reason as you and often have a partner, or an entire family to think about before they make friends with everyone in their class.
You’re away from home and away from your usual group of friends, but one perk of university life is that you’ll likely make new friends on your course (without forgetting your friends back home, that is). But chances are, you’ll have that one friend in your class who is your new best friend of all.
When they’re not around, class just won’t feel the same without them.
You’ll be there for one another through the late night study sessions to the good times when you decide to take a weekend off of work to let your hair down. They’ll be there for you.
And statistically, the friends you make at uni are the friends who will stay with you for life, so you can look forwards to the times ahead after graduation being spent with your new friend.
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