Nothing Brings College Students Together like Free Stuff
Photo by Sophia Haraus
The word “free” may not seem like much to an outsider, but to a college student, that word means everything. Literally, everything. From t-shirts, to stickers, to donuts, and even teddy bears, college students will snatch up anything they can get their grubby paws on. It’s a word that invites us, excites us, and even unites us.
From the very first day we join the Elmhurst University community, we are greeted with free stuff, like stickers to rep our school pride or a t-shirt with phrases like “Bluejay Bound” I remember receiving my acceptance letter and in the thick envelope, there was a page of EU themed stickers.
There was also a pillowcase with the EU logo on it, which I used for on-campus trick-or-treating that following semester. Was I expecting a pillowcase? Not in my wildest dreams, but free is free and it can’t get much better than that. These small moments are just a little taste of what’s to come throughout the journey of higher education.
College isn’t exactly the pinnacle of our net worth. Personal funds are low and the price of school is high. Tuition, room/board, and books would make anyone start to sweat. But the second the word “free” is uttered through the grapevine, you’re no longer breaking a sweat over money, you’re breaking a sweat running to wherever that free item is being given out.
Have you ever walked around campus around lunch time and felt awfully quiet for no reason? I can guarantee that there is a giveaway happening somewhere and everyone is flocking there in real time.
Take Homecoming week for example. T-shirts were given out Sept. 24 and Bluejays from all over flocked to Founders Lounge, with the line wrapping around the halls, down the north stairs, even leading outside the doors. Some people even stood in the rain, all for a free t-shirt.
Everyone has a different schedule, but hundreds of students took time out of their day to stand in line for a t-shirt. It was an experience I can only compare to Black Friday, without the fighting and trampling of other people. Everyone in that line was united over a common goal: getting the damn t-shirt. If that’s not dedication and perseverance, I don’t know what is. And that was just one of the many giveaways that happened during the week, and one of the hundreds that happen throughout the entire academic year.
It also goes to show just how easy it can be to please college students. Want students to show up to your event? Smack “FREE” in big letters on a flyer.
Need more people to join your club? Toss free stuff on your table at the student involvement fair. Have a good cause that needs more attention? Promise a goodie in exchange for their participation. “Free” is a marketing cheat code for students, and it gets us every single time.