College students are entirely a species of their own. Through the up’s and down’s of playing hard and studying even harder (rest assured parents), the lifestyle of a college student begins to take on aspects unlike any other. As a college student myself, there are things you wouldn’t truly find ‘odd’ or ‘abnormal’ unless they were done or occurred outside of a college environment. Here’s a list of things that have been deemed to be only socially acceptable in college.

1. Hearing smoke alarms 24/7

This rings true especially for those who live in campus/near-campus apartments, which are basically just the dorms with a little more living space and freedom. We’re all struggling and learning to cook decent, somewhat healthy meals for ourselves and it shows. While 99 out of 100 times there isn’t an actual fire, our cooking skills still remain a solid 4.5 out of 10. No matter what time of the day it is, the sound of a smoke alarm going off in the distance becomes the sweet, comforting sound of home.

2. Eating cereal for every meal

When the smoke alarms sound, it’s the “go to meal”. You can’t burn it, you can’t undercook it, you can’t overcook it, and it can be made within seconds-- just make sure the milk isn’t expired. Whether you’re a Honey Nut Cheerios or Froot Loops kind of person, you can never go wrong with cereal at any time of day.

3. Wearing outfits twice (or four times) a week

This might just be one of the best things about college. If you wore that one shirt on Monday, it’s not like the people in your Tuesday classes are going to know-- much less notice. It makes life easier, giving you that extra 20 minutes of sleep in the morning, instead of having to pick out a whole new outfit out of your ever expanding closet.

4. Wearing the oddest outfits

Coming straight from the gym? No one is going to judge you or your sweat. Coming straight from pulling an all-nighter at the library? You’re most likely not the only one to come to class in your pajamas. Whether you’re wearing socks with sandals or your coffee-stained high school P.E. sweatshirt and the same pair of leggings you’ve worn the past 3 days, you’ll find that the spectrum of outfits on a college campus is relatively wide.

5. Knowing every letter of the Greek alphabet

Whether you’re in Greek life or not, it’s inevitable that you’ll learn how to correctly pronounce each Greek letter, throughout your college experience. You’ll find yourself wishing that you could replace the knowledge of the Greek alphabet in your brain with all of the material that you should know for your next exam.

6. Getting coffee at 10:00pm

Midterms and Finals season are desperate times that call for desperate measures. You’re sleep deprived and trying to cram in as much information into your brain as possible, and caffeine is your best friend during this time. Plus, what compliments your exquisite cereal dinner better than a nice cup of joe?

7. Taking naps in between classes throughout the day

Never a nap kind of person? Well college will make you one. Sleep is a luxury in college and every opportunity to have it is seized. And public napping is a common occurrence; whether you’re in the library, a lecture hall, a bench on campus, or in your own bed, you’ll learn to appreciate any nap at any time or place.

All jokes aside, I’ve been told repeatedly that college is one of the most memorable times of our lives. So if you’re squeezing in a nap on a campus bench or learning (and burning) a classic family recipe to cook, do it wholeheartedly because none of these things are socially acceptable once we graduate.