Brace yourself, these are all the uni stereotypes you’re bound to come across in 2025

The next few weeks, university campuses will be flush with young adults, reveling in the sights, wide eyed and smiling, as open days begin for prospective applicants. After that, Freshers’ Week is only a blink away and then it’s time to prepare ourselves for the arrival of a new generation of academic victims. The cycle repeats itself each year, but there are few slight changes to look out for.

In preparation for this, let’s take a quick glimpse at some common 2025 uni stereotypes you’ll probably come across on campus.

The academic weapons

There are actually two subcategories of academic weapon, and they are definitely on two ends of a spectrum, with the same end in sight… deadlines. 

Type A is the kind of student who cracks out an essay a month before the deadline, their bibliographies look like the receipt of a library, and MLA is their best friend. These students are generally the same kind of people who are signed up to at least five societies, and are president’s of three, and you can’t help but wonder “Where do they get the time?”. 

Type B is a wholly different type of academic weapon, lovingly termed on TikTok, the “academic butter knife”. They try to lock in for weeks, but end up locking in on their FYP. The only enticement that makes them even put pen to paper is the promise of a sweet treat and the threat of a resit. 

The wannabe TikTok it girlies

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Shelves full of Sol De Janeiro body sprays, drawers piled to the brim with the latest style of jeans or t-shirts with the slogan of the week, and 700 followers; you’re bound to encounter her at some point. With the rise of influencers, there also come wannabes, who swear they know which bars have the best lighting for pictures, the latest face cream made of snails excrement, or the best diet for getting a beach body. These girls vary in dangerousness, some are completely harmless and just want to be like their favourite TikTokers, while for others, it is a blood sport. God forbid you accidentally photobomb their aesthetic shot, just don’t make eye contact and run.

The man child

With the release of Sabrina Carpenter’s newest song, people across the country have held space for it, and called out their “manchild” exes. However, these people don’t just exist in the form of a song, but rather in the form of someone who asks if it’s okay to eat chicken that is pink inside, and is confused by the idea of doing anything for themselves. Responsibility? I barely know her.

The overachievers

The most extreme kind of Type A Academic weapon, otherwise known as eldest children. You’ll see these people anywhere and everywhere across campus, whether it’s a meeting of student ambassadors, student politics, sports teams or student media. It’s honestly just impressive, and heaven only knows how tired they are, hopefully they get some rest over summer.

The one who claims they aren’t rich

No matter where you apply, there will always be that one person who claims they aren’t rich, and in the same breath, asks where you intend to summer. They’ll swear they aren’t going anywhere, and then suddenly pop up in Cannes on their Instagram Story with an impeccable tan and a spritz. Alternatively, they’ll ask who you’re going to bet on at Royal Ascot. 

The people who make sport their entire personality

This 2025 uni stereotype is a rite of passage. While sports are an integral part of student life and wellbeing, some take it to the extreme, making it their entire personality. Don’t be surprised if someone walks up to you in a club and asks “What’s your name? What do you play?”, or thinks asking about your protein intake counts as a form of foreplay. 

The medicine students who are always six months late to every trend

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♬ original sound – openhearted9

I won’t lie, I’ve been here, chronically offline, and late to every trend, every meme, every bit of online drama. While the algorithm constantly churns out content chosen for us, it seems some of us are stuck in a bygone era, made to feel like a grandparent asking their grandchild what Italian brain rot is, or why summer is “brat”. Plus, if you’re studying medicine you rightfully have your mind elsewhere. 

First years who survive on Pot Noodle until the next loan drop

While most of us are getting by with our student loans, being mostly sensible, the money vacuum just seems to spend and spend without a single thought. They’ll buy a new flat screen, 4K, television for their room, but won’t contribute more to the bills when they rise by 20 percent. These people can be found in the club, buying round after round, but won’t pay you back the £3.45 for the Uber split you bought there. 

Those students who have no chill when it comes to a night out

University is a time of self-exploration and experimentation, but these students just seem to metamorphose before your eyes. They’ll shift aesthetics at least once a fortnight, go out three times a week, and miss at least two lectures and a supervisor meeting. Then, when their parents come to collect their stuff at the start of summer, they’re back to acting like a saint, and like they aren’t the reason the kitchen is messier than a breakup. 

Third years who act like the parents of the group

These people can generally be found cleaning up the mess of the wild child, or friends with the overachievers. They’re the kind of people who bring snacks to the club in case their friends get hungry, or they’re the designated sober friend on a night out, making sure their friends don’t walk out into a busy road or go home with their atrocious ex. All in all, they’re the voice of reason, the one who patches everyone up after their shenanigans, and the one who cooks the breakfast the morning after. 

The ChatGPT extraordinaire

Ah AI, the bane universities experience and the end of creativity. We all know that one person who uses ChatGPT to generate the most unoriginal essay you’ve ever seen, and then wonder why they got zeroes for their assignments. Out of all the 2025 uni stereotypes, the ChatGPT reliant is probably the most common student you’ll come across.