A lot of things annoy us: people who post their entire lives on their Facebook statuses, our nagging parents, professors who assign 15-page papers, finals week—we could go on and on. But Northeastern has several unique characteristics that bother the sh*t out of all undergrads. Making our skin crawl and our fists clench, these 7 things never fail to annoy us, EVERY SINGLE TIME.
And here they are:
#1) The Stir Fry Line at Stetson West
In the amount of time it takes to get stir fry at 6p.m. on a weekday, normal students can eat 2-3 healthy meals. And they usually do: while hopelessly waiting to see their number magically light up on the stir fry board, which takes at least 30-45 minutes, those awaiting their meal typically grab a piece of pizza, a bowl of pasta, maybe a bowl of cereal… okay, and just one cookie, achieving a full stomach before the main course is even half-cooked. And once that board finally puts a light behind the number you’re holding, what you’re served is usually a mix of what you ordered, a friend’s order, and something green you didn’t ask for. FAIL.
# 2) Dorm Fire Drills
You’re in your pajamas, snuggling in bed watching Sex and the City. Or maybe you’re just stepping out of the shower—wet hair and all. You’re relaxing for the first time all week. And then you hear it. RAAAAAAAAR, RAR, RAR, RAR, RAR. Or maybe it’s a BLANTTTT, BLANTTT, BLANTTTTTT! It’s definitely one of those sounds. Sh*t, it’s the West Village A fire alarm. Everybody out! Of course, it’s the coldest night of the week. But did you have time to grab a sweater before you escaped the blaring, shrieking bell? Probably not.
#3) When Our Husky Cards Stop Working
You’re about to get a great workout in at Marino. Or maybe you’re about to have a feast at Stetson East. Wherever you’re going, THINK AGAIN. You’re not going in, because you’re Husky Card doesn’t work. That little black strip on the back has expired, or has just been swiped too many times while signing your boyfriend into Dav B. And it doesn’t help that the person swiping the card gets pissed at you, like you gave it to them on purpose knowing it doesn’t work anymore. Which, maybe you did, and were hoping it would magically work again. Either way, good luck getting a new one!
#4) Ticket Sales on MyNEU
Yay! Springfest time! You can’t wait to see the half-famous R&B artist that is coming to Matthew’s Arena. So you log in, click at the appropriate times, get an NU+1 for your best friend from high school, Mandy, who’s going to come visit, and then, BAM. Blocked. For some reason, the site is DOWN. It tells you to try again. You do. And then again, and again, and then again, and then—sorry! They’re out of tickets. You just spent an hour clicking away for no reason. Guess you and Mandy are going to have to find something else to do that weekend.
#5) The Line Outside of the Dunkin at Richards
You stayed up til 3a.m. last night writing a paper about something you still don’t understand. Now you have an 8a.m. and desperately need coffee. So you head to your go-to stop, the Dunkin at Richards Hall. You have exactly 10 minutes before you need to get to class. That should be enough time to get one measly cup of coffee, right? WRONG. The line, as always, is super effing long. It snakes all the way down the hallway and around the corner, and you’re in dead last. Do you bite the bullet and go to class, or wait it out and be late to class? Have fun deciding!
#6) Freshman
Sorry guys, but you are so annoying. See Michele Richinick’s article for a more in-depth reason why. We’ve all been freshman before, so we’ve been there: you’ll get a clue eventually. But, here’s one tip: STOP TALKING TO YOUR FRIENDS IN FRONT OF THE DRINK STATION AT STETSON EAST. WE NEED DRINKS TOO! GET OUT OF THE WAY.
#7) Unfriendly Proctors
We understand your job sucks—swiping the Husky Cards of impatient students over and over again isn’t anyone’s idea of fun. But guess what? Giving us the death glare when we ask you to sign in our friends won’t get anyone anywhere. Sighing deeply when I ask you to push the “Automatic Door” button so I can get my bike upstairs without physically hurting myself doesn’t mean you don’t still have to do it. Plus, I asked nicely! Do you think we enjoy waiting in the lobby while you meticulously write our names down, or enjoy only being able to have three friends over at a time? No, we don’t. But hey—you’re getting paid. So give us a smile!
Honorable mentions: tuition (for you occupiers out there), finals week, waiting for the green line, the annoying middle schoolers that are somehow always on our campus, the angry receptionists at Health Services, OSCCR, and waiting for a printer in InfoCommons.
We hope this helped you take out a little of your end of semester frustrations! What’s your biggest pet peeve at Northeastern? Comment and let us know.
Photos courtesy of: care2lead, allfungi, northeastern