You either love them or hate them. You identify with them or you despise them. I am speaking of trends. They are a big part of life. For some unknown reason, trends take off in college. Everyone wants to be their own person and a lot of the trends identify with them. You may recognize some of the following trends around campus.

Big t-shirts and Nike shorts.

This is only a girl trend, mostly a sorority thing. Some call this “lampshading" because it looks like a lampshade when the shirt is way too big and covers the shorts. I believe that the big reason this is only found in college is because you can roll out in whatever you want. You probably don't care what others think when you are going to your 8 a.m. in this look. Perhaps you rock it all day because it is comfortable. I wouldn't know all of this because I am a guy but, hey, you do you.

Outdoorsy.

By outdoorsy, I mean the purchase of outdoor adventure items. These are things like Eno Hammocks, Patagonia fleeces, Nalgenes, Chacos, etc. This is also referred to as “granola." This trend means that you are either trying to get more in touch with the earth or you love to go camping. At college, you experience nature more for some unknown reason. This means that you frequent the outdoor store more often and try to reflect that in your everyday life.

New Balance.

The shoe of choice for most college guys, especially the plain gray ones that are known as “frat cruisers." For some reason, the number of guys that wear New Balance sky rockets in college. Maybe it is related to the “lampshade" look in that you don't care what people think of what you wear. No matter the reason, you just want to be the guy with those shoes that all the guys wear in college.

Long boarding.

This is probably pretty popular because a lot of people didn't live in skating spots before college. When you come to college, there are the select few that know how to skate, and those who don't know want to learn from them. Skating is something that people use to get to class quicker. However, when the skaters fall off their boards, everyone is laughing. Watching other people fall off their boards and laughing at their pain is a joy to the outsiders of this trend.

Coffee.

Most likely, you didn't drink coffee before you were in college but you definitely do now. This makes you feel more sophisticated and more college. You probably hated your first sip of coffee but you kept drinking because you wanted to be hip. Here's to you hip people in the small coffee shops.

Popularity.

No one cares how popular you are in college. Many come into college thinking that they need to have the most friends and be the most liked. However, no one really cares about your popularity status. So, take the letter jacket or the senior ring and leave it at home. Living for the attention of others is not something that college kids do. We don't need attention; we just want to be ourselves. A lot of college is about discovering who you personally are, and popularity only drags you down.

Music festivals.

SXSW, Coachella, ACL. All the college kids are at them. This could tie in somewhat with everyone wanting to be hip. For some reason, the love of music takes off again at college. Your Spotify is now loaded with more music than ever before. This means you are going to go see your favorite music artists at the nearest music festival. Who cares how much money you have to spend to see all of the artists at the music festival? You will be there no matter what.

Flow.

This only speaks to guys. Most guys in college have the flow of hair. It is just a thing that happens in college. This is mostly because your parents aren't around to tell you to cut your hair every two weeks. Maybe you want to look like a hippie, hockey player, wake boarder, or you are already on the lacrosse team. Whatever the reason, stick it to the man and grow that hair out.

Bikes.

Such a fast way to get to class while you are on the bike doing your thing. But I promise, everyone around you is thinking, “You take up too much room. Get back in the bike lane!" Though, yes, this is a faster way to get to and from places, the people walking despise you. They are probably just jealous of your efficiency.

College, no parents.

Your parents are not around anymore. Do what you want. Maybe you go to IHOP at 3 a.m., maybe you get a tattoo, maybe you stay out too late. So what? Your parents aren't here to tell you what to do anymore. You have found a new sense of freedom in college. This means that nothing is going to stop you from doing all that you want to do.

The freshman mantra.

“I'm a freshman, I can do everything. Oh, and I'll be the best at them." Every freshman wants to join all of the clubs, organizations, etc. This is the beginning of the freshman mantra. Freshmen also come in with a huge confident attitude that they will be the best at everything. It only takes about three weeks to learn that you cannot do everything and be the best at all of them.

Road trips.

Everyone is looking for a getaway from the place that has class, tests, papers, and quizzes. Whether this is for a weekend or for spring break, road trips with friends are the ultimate get away. Just pick some random places and make it work. College is the best time for road trips because of the freedom you have. Just as the movie Up said, “Adventure is out there!"

I am sure that many more trends around college campuses can be added to the list. These are only the handful that are pretty major. Keep your eye out for these things and decide for yourself whether you are going to be extremely for, or totally against, them.