‘Type A’ vs ‘Type B’ Glasgow Uni Students

From early morning pilates to pints at Oran Mor, to missed lectures and already maxing out your DAP extensions for the year. Is it really achievable to be the jack of all trades? 

7am spin class at the Stevie, followed by a perfectly topped and aesthetically pleasing homemade yoghurt bowl, throw on a North Face puffer and some urban jeans, quick mirror selfie and out the door for a 10 hour shift at the library before a complete transformation for a night out in Ashton Lane. Who other than a Type A student can fit that much into a single day? 

12pm alarm blares after hitting snooze for the 10th time that morning, begrudgingly checking your phone to realise you’ve missed yet another lecture, but its only week three and you’re telling yourself that you have all of reading week to catch up, when you know that is never the case. Smudged eye-makup from Hive the night before and grabbing what ever clothes seem the cleanest from your bedroom floor before trying to make it to Greggs before your seminar that you’ve barely done the reading for. None other than Type B of course!

These are two depictions at the complete polar opposite ends of the scale of what many believe constitutes a ‘Type A’ vs a ‘Type B’ student.

Having come from a flat of entirely what would be considered ‘Type B’ personas, this I can attest to the most. Although I fear the narrative on a us type B’s quite harsh. Even if we don’t have the most visually appealing way of getting things done, our own unconventional methods of organisation get us to the same means as our supposed ‘Type A’ rivals. 

However, the strange existence of a Type A student intrigues me. How they can seemingly do it all, the 9ams, the workout classes and yet, the ‘Type A’ students I know also can still make it to every night out without fail.

What is their secret?

Are they just better at hiding it than the rest of us?

I think that is the truth and that in fact the secret but harsh reality is that all uni students are secretly Type B.

The façade of the infamous day in the life vlogs all over Tik Tok and the intricately precise and curated Instagram stories of handwritten notes with a side of over-priced Blank Street iced vanilla matchas are nothing more than perhaps a more attractive coping mechanism than simply doomscrolling and comparing yourselves to others on social media.

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I’ve often found it hard to resist the temptation to attempt a plog or two myself, before failing by 2pm when I’ve forgotten to perfect my morning routine or take a curated image of my window seat on the 10th floor of the library with the sun hitting the university spire at just the right angle.

I’ve realised I’d just be fooling myself had I attempted an ironclad clean cut ‘Type A’ type of day as a student, when the harsh reality of my impending deadlines, half-empty fridge and mountain of washing is conveniently left out of the fine details of my camera roll and social media posts that day.

Often, the hardest part of university for most students is the balancing act of it all.

Having a social life, whilst maintaining good grades and a healthy lifestyle. That is without even getting into the dreaded application season and rush to find a successful summer internship.

So maybe there is an appeal in applying some type of control over how your lifestyle is presented online. A timestamped routine from a 7 minute shower, down to how long a walk it takes from your various lectures across campus might provide a sense of comfort to those who thrive on routine. Something instilled in many of us from school that is often abandoned once you become in charge of your own schedule in university.

I’m struggling to find the lesson within all of this discourse, but ultimately, if an early morning run and an organised routine is what gets you through the stresses of student life, or if a late night socialising or doomscrolling seems more your style. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Setting unrealistic expectations for yourself based on others strengths or interests is never going to suit everyone’s lifestyles. At the end of the day, your time as a student is finite and such a unique lifestyle you’ll never get back so as long as you’ve found methods that work for you, no matter how unconventional, embrace the novelty of it whilst you can.

As I’ve mentioned, it is safe to say I live in a flat of ‘Type B’ yet we are all as ultimately ambitious as the aforementioned ‘Type A’ students of the world.

Typing this at midnight from my kitchen table, flatmates surrounding me each with our own assignments, articles, applications or ASOS orders, I find this time together much more worthwhile than a dreaded 7am spin class.

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