12 Experiences Only Book-Lovers Had In College

College means creaking desks, the smell of autumn as leaves slowly change color, the endless bowls of Easy Mac. It’s working through the night to finish a paper, running on no sleep and waaay too much coffee, and dropping everything to go on an adventure with all your best friends. And, of course, college means BOOKS.

Is there anything that screams “collegiate” more than a fully stocked library, or a backpack crammed with books? Sure, some of them might be textbooks, but, for any book-lover, the prospect of endless reading as “homework” is a dream come true. People complain about having to do this?! You ask yourself.

But it’s true. Some students don’t appreciate 100-plus pages of assigned reading per night, and they DEFINITELY don’t want to read for pleasure once they get through all that homework. However, for others, the story is a bit different. Though not everyone fully understands the life of a book-loving college student, those with a love of literature know that what college really means is this: sitting in a shady patch of grass, underneath an enormous elm tree, with a book in your hand and your entire future stretching out before you. Too cheesy? Well, as stated before, college also means Easy Mac, so deal with it.

You Get Excited About Required Reading

You can't wait to receive your syllabus and look over the required books list, because you actually WANT to start reading as soon as possible. From Jane Austen to Shakespeare, you're a fan of required literature, and the thought of spending an entire class two to three times a week just discussing the works of your favorite authors fills you with excitement.

People Mistake Your Book Hangover For An Actual Hangover

You stayed up all night reading an AMAZING book, and now you're upset because it's over and you can't recapture the magic you felt as you read it. So while your friends take Tylenol to numb the pain of their tequila-induced headaches, you're over in a corner suffering from literary withdrawal.

You Can't Study In The Library, Because You're Too Distracted By All The Books

"I'll get right to this Calculus homework, I just want to see what this book is... oh, I've never seen this particular copy of Anna Karenina before. Maybe I should just flip through it for a few seconds..." Three hours later, you have a pile of books all around you, and none of them are calculus textbooks.

Sometimes You Show Up Late To Parties, Because You Had To Finish A Book

Does it count as being fashionably late if you just REALLY had to find out how the book ends?

...And You Bring Another Book To The Party, Just In Case

BYOB stands for "bring your own book," right?

You Never Resell Your Schoolbooks

Even though you could probably make a few bucks reselling your required reading material, you want keep every Norton Anthology and heavily annotated copy of Pride and Prejudice. Because you love them all, and what if you need to go back and reread?

There's No Space To Move In Your Dorm Room, Because It's Full Of Books

Forget packages of Ramen and piles of dirty laundry: your room is clogged with books. From library books to textbooks to that pile of YA novels you've been meaning to get to, every inch of your tiny dorm room is crammed, to where it looks like your own little library.

You Use Your Breaks To Catch Up On Reading

College can be busy, and stressful, but luckily you have plenty of breaks to detox and get away from the stress that is midterms and finals. And by detox, I mean catch up on reading. That TBR pile is the first thing you tackle when you have a spare minute.

You Bond With Friends Over Books

When you find a great book, you make sure to lend it to all of your friends. If someone asks how you met your roommate, the answer probably involves a long story about a string of shared favorite books. And your study sessions usually turn into literary discussions, but, hey — it's still educational, right?

There Are Book Quotes Doodled Over All Your Notes

Oh, was I supposed to be writing down everything the professor was saying? Because I accidentally doodled "mischief managed" and a full replica of the Marauder's map all over my notebook...

You Never Have A Lot Of Homework, Because You've Already Read The Assigned Books

While everyone is is grumbling about how many pages they have to read every night just to keep up in class, you've been marathoning the latest Netflix show and catching up on some pleasure reading, because you already know the assigned books backward and forward.

You'll Always Feel Nostalgic For The Time Spent In College, Discussing Your Favorite Books

At what other time in your life will you be able to spend all day, in and out of class, talking about literature? It only happens in college. Just kidding. You'll always be talking about books.

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