Oh the People You’ll Meet: The Unhinged Coed

College brings a whole lot of new experiences, new lessons and new people. But it seems that no matter what school you go to there are same characters on every campus. The frat house groupie, the sensitive all American, the cool girl, and the Unhinged Coed.

By Donnette

Once upon a time, at college orientation, you met someone who spent her weekend running around meeting everyone. Even the orientation leaders, academic advisors…and cafeteria workers. This person was friendly, funny, flirty. Then classes began, parties were under way and, whoa mama, it was…girl gone wild (annoying)!

Allow me to introduce you to the Unhinged Coed.

The Unhinged Coed is an attention hog (minus the “g”) to the umpteenth power. She will do just about anything for someone to take a quick look or give her a quick dose of attention.

While she comes off friendly and fun at first, the Unhinged is quickly reduced to nothing more than the nuisance you turn to when you need something. Eager to please (and for people to know she’s helpful), she is always there with a book someone needs to borrow, notes when someone misses class, and a pair of lips when someone is drunk and looking for booty.

In her quest to be everyone’s friend, she ends up with a small group – usually like-minded attention seeking-wannabes themselves – who stick around her to gain “access” to the people she claims to be close with. Only she isn’t, because her quest to be known by all leaves her annoyed by most.

The Unhinged has an impressive major, something like International Politics or Romance Languages (and speaks the same amount of Spanish as the Taco Bell Chihuahua), and makes sure everyone knows about it.  Although, attending class and passing is not high on her priority list.

What is on that list?

1. Doing the “college” thing (or everything stereotypical about college).

2. Hooking up and gossiping about it.

3. Gossiping about other people.

4. Attending parties to look cool. Then talking about them.

All of the above is done with one goal in mind: to make a name on campus.

And she succeeds. Only instead of being popular and adored everywhere she goes, the Unhinged Coed becomes known only as that. A crazy attention-seeker.

Underneath it all, this is just a sorely misguided soul who gets too caught up in what she should be and suffocates her good personality. Sadly, she will never be what she is trying to hard to be, but rather an acquaintance to many, an unmentioned hook-up, and the reference to a “what not to do/ how not to be” story. There is no happily ever after for the Unhinged Coed. Just 4 years of trying too hard in a place where popularity doesn’t matter and being real does.