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What Parks and Recreation Characters Were Like in College

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Chapman chapter.

Leslie Knope: The Alpha

Major(s): Political Science/History/Leadership Studies

Club(s): Chapman Feminists, I AM THAT GIRL, National Society of Leadership and Success

  • Was elected as her university’s SGA president in her freshman year (first female SGA president)
  • Juggled 18 credits, community service every Saturday morning, and a full-time internship at the local Parks and Recreation department
  • Averaged 3-4 hours of sleep on weekends and weekdays
  • Could be found either studying in her room, attending presentations in the lecture hall, tutoring in DeMille, or getting her Starbucks on at 10:00 pm

Ben Wyatt: The Nerd/The Know-It-All

Major(s): Computer Science/Accounting

Club(s): Robotics Club

  • Took gaming way too seriously and spent his weekends in front of his PS4
  • Enjoyed spending hours playing Settlers of Catan and board games in the study lounges of the dorms
  • Had an opinion about everything in class — he always raised his hand and told people (even the teacher) how they were incorrect
  • Was forced by his friends to attend parties and could be found bopping along quietly in a dark corner

Ann Perkins: The Beauty

Major(s): Pre-Health, Biology

Club(s): Active Minds, Global Medical Brigades, Delight

  • Unfortunately experienced ALL the different types of fuck-boys in college
  • Was the best to go to for boy advice
  • Passionate about helping people and wanted to change the world with medicine
  • Could be found volunteering at the hospital after school
  • Was always invited to parties and spent her weekends out and about, mixed with sleeping in until 1:00 pm on Sundays

Andy Dwyer: The Idiot

Major(s): Undeclared/Undecided

Club(s): Burnt Marshmallow Camping Club

  • Was a fraternity legend because he could open a beer bottle with his pinky toe
  • Still didn’t understand how to register for classes after his junior year
  • Had never done his own laundry before coming to college
  • Still used his Superman sheets from 10 years ago
  • Was in a rock band that always performed at the school’s open mic events

Ron Swanson: The Man

Major(s): Engineering

Club(s): Investment Group

  • Attended all the school’s football games and could always be found yelling out curse words and “constructive” criticism to the players and coaches
  • Constantly bashed “the man,” “the system,” P-Safe, and any other form of authority on campus
  • Averaged 8-10 plates at the cafeteria for every meal
  • Questioned every teacher as to the real purpose of going to college and what his hard-earned money was actually going to
  • Didn’t believe in technology and therefore did not turn in 70% of his assignments
  • Attracted many women due to his manly aura

Tom Haverford: The Techie

Major(s): Business/PR and Advertising

Club(s): Hungry Panther Reviews, AKPsi

  • Could always be found hollering at multiple women, bouncing back from rejection, and rocking multiple patterns at parties
  • Never let his roommate borrow his clothes
  • Decorated his dorm with posters of Drake, Kanye, and other motivational men
  • Never ate at the cafeteria or bought clothes from campus but somehow never ran out of money
  • Used way too much slang, to the point where he could not censor it out of essays
  • Reached ultimate fuck-boy level

April Ludgate: The Hipster

Major(s): Art or Music

Club(s): N/A

  • Was deemed typical hipster girl
  • Could be found listening to the Smiths, wearing combat boots, and attempting to stab a voodoo doll with her Bic pen
  • Constantly wearing “resting bitch face”  
  • Hated everyone and everything and made it known
  • Never did her work, but instead offered arguments on why every assignment was pointless

Donna Meagle: The Richie

Major(s): Business Administration

Club(s): AKPsi

  • All of her friends were guys and most of them were in love with her
  • Fun to party with: she didn’t take care of girls who didn’t know their limits but she’d get them into all the parties
  • Pampering was key; she enjoyed treating herself to pedicures and Netflix at the end of a long day

Jerry Gergich: The Other

Major(s): Peace Studies

Club(s): History Club, Educators in Action

  • Always encountered people who didn’t understand his major or how he would get a job
  • Could be found helping out at the admissions office, but was put in the back since he botched even the simplest jobs
  • Was the nice guy who many girls took advantage of
  • Was known all throughout campus as the class clown, although he was never trying to be funny
  • Constantly excited about class projects and usually ended up doing all the work

Chris Traeger: The Yes Man

Major(s): Kinesiology

Club(s): Chapman Runs SoCal, Food Science and Nutrition Association, Health and Healing

  • Always had high energy to the point that it got annoying
  • Could be found coming back from a run or doing cardio at the gym
  • Angered his roommate because his alarm went off at 6:00 am everyday
  • Never drank at parties and instead spent his time on the dance floor
  • Only ate salads at the cafeteria and led a protest for healthier foods

Which character are you most like?