Welcome to college! Now wear this

MANILA, Philippines - Many Filipino high school students look forward to college for the following reasons. In college, there is no need to come up with an excuse letter, scale the walls of their exclusive school or bribe the village security guard to cut class. In college, there are more food choices than the high school cafeteria caterer from hell. In college, there is no need to leave their non-coed schools to stalk — or I mean “hang out with” — the opposite sex. And finally, in college they get to say good riddance to the one thing that stopped them from being individuals: the high school uniform.

But as soon as freshmen enter campus, their college fantasies die. Some professors cut class more than students and skipping class means having to catch up with the ridiculous college workload. There is a shortage of good-looking people on campus and having a ton of food choices for lunch means draining your sembreak funds. And in college, a lot still end up wearing uniforms but this time, your mom is not going to pay P8,000 for jeans that make you look like the campus utility guy. Sorry, kids, cliques and their “uniforms” still exist in some colleges and, sadly, even at the workplace! Here are some of the college stereotypes to watch out for on campus.

In it to blog it: The slaves of #OOTDs

When it comes to fashion, these kids are like sampler platters. On Monday, they can be boho, on Tuesday it’s geek chic and by Friday they are nautical meets Burgos (Who knows? After four years, they become degree holders in pa-uso). People from this stereotype are the annoying ones who actually look forward to school because it’s an opportunity to dress up and think Tommy Ton hangs out in Taft or Katipunan. They love their fast fashion brands and mix it up with “bespoke” (or “modista“ to you and me) clothing to items they ransacked from different closets or ukay centers. But you have to hand it to these guys who probably set aside a couple of hours each day to put together and blog about their outfits when the rest of us forget to wear socks to make it to 7:30 a.m. biology.

Style icon: Insert style blogger of the moment (a.k.a Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller)

Accessories: Insert accessory of the moment… and a gadget with Instagram

Hipster Hopefuls

Like the geek culture, the hipster culture changed over the years. But unlike the geeks, hipsters have gone from being too cool to embarrassing. Thanks to fast fashion brands that have landed in Manila malls, the hipster hacks can now dress ironically and pretend they’re all alternative with their plaid, skinny jeans, ponchos, vests, oxfords and whatever’s left in the Urban Outfitters bargain bin. Thank the heavens for the recent music fests during the summer, there is a reason to wear the flower crown or scarf.

Style icon: From Lana del Rey to Solange Knowles

Accessories: Fedoras, tie-dye tank tops, fringe dresses, film cameras, satchels that can fit readings and vinyl records or you know what, any item we’ve probably never heard of ‘cause it’s too cool.

Sporty swag

It used to be a hoodie with the school seal and a pair of kicks that distinguished the student athlete from the rest. But now, everybody insists they’re athletic –– from the legitimate varsity stars to fitness freaks. The varsity stars, specifically the jocks, complement their swagger with sponsored sportswear and branded accessories. Usually ill-fitted jeans, a pricey watch and D-bag friendly eyewear… think Kanye West before he christened himself as Kan the Louis Vuitton Don. With the fitness freaks, it’s the gym rats who like to wear their shorts and look as though they’re ready to run another marathon. Sporty could also be the chicks who can’t shut up about juicing, anti-gravity yoga and are most comfortable in their Lululemons or Stella McCartney tops.

Style icon: A$AP Rocky, Dwyane Wade, Stella McCartney, Derrick Rose

Accessories: Fancy fitness tracker or gym bag that tells the world you have a workout after school or an endorsement from Adidas

Sosy Flossy

You would think the pa-sosyal pricks you had to deal with in high school would be banished to a finishing school on the West Coast or getting a bachelor’s degree in Life from an undisclosed rehab. Unfortunately, college still has these gems who remind us that, for some people, no amount of Abercrombie or Ralph Lauren translates to Ivy League admissions. You see them around campus in their well-thought-out “classic” Town and Country-esque ensemble of buttondowns, chinos, sweaters even during summer school and 100-percent leather accessories. Lowkey compared to their Armani- and Gucci-loving ancestors from the ‘90s who would be considered “Chav” in this day and age.

Style icon: The stars of Revenge, Charlotte Casiraghi, Lauren Bush-Lauren, Hilary Rhoda or the real rich kids who are quietly studying in a Northeast university.

Accessories: Heirloom pieces that remind/fool people their grandparents had money and they’re no Gatsby.

Geek Clique

Thanks to Mark Zuckerberg and the rest of the Start-up Superstars, geeks have earned some sort of respect over the past two decades. Today, geeks are hardly ridiculed for the fear we might end up working for them or they will refuse to share their class notes and their collection of Daft Punk remixes. But in terms of style, nothing has changed much ‘cause the geek clique would rather think about the next best-selling app rather than their outfit the following day. They still love their bags with 10,000 pockets and geek-friendly brands like Uniqlo and Threadless. Besides, the only brands that concern them are probably Apple or Google. There’s no dress code at Comic Con, ya know.

Style icon: Ideally, Apple’s Jonathan Ive or any Silicon Valley sex symbol who stopped shopping at the Gap. Or maybe Jesse Eisenberg.

Accessories: Any bag that can house their boredom pack of books and gadgets. Battery pack above 2,000 mh.

Keeping it too real

Flashy people can be really irritating but the opposite clique of kids who advocate the pambahay and act like they’re some sort of activist can be equally annoying as well. These kids obviously choose comfort over style meaning they don’t care about the brand, the fit, the preference for slippers, the overall look… heck, I bet these kids don’t care if there are multiple holes all over their shirt. I pity the professors who have made the effort to look professional only to face a student who looks like they’d rather be at home than in school. This clique probably thinks looking a bit disadvantaged can land them a job at a top NGO. Um, no, maybe more like at the SBMA (Sa Bahay Muna, Anak). Good luck to this clique who will transition from college to the corporate world. Save yourself first before saving the world!

Style icon: Ideally, Audrey Hepburn during her UNICEF days. Realistically, it's probably Lena Dunham in Girls.

Accessories: Anything handmade or rotten cause they’re down to earth like that