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The Musical Way We Get To Class

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

My before class checklist consists of making sure I have my folder and textbook, a pen, my planner, and my iPod with headphones ready for the journey across campus. I don’t think I would make it to class without the beat of a song playing in my ears. Like with most people, listening to music changes your mood. So to get me up out of bed for my morning class, my go-to music are the poppy beats of Smash Mouth Radio on Pandora.

There are about a million different things that I would rather do than go to my Government class, such as clean my fish tank or watch paint dry. So to relieve the stresses of everyday college life, I tune out with the help of my iPod and I notice that most other students do the same – and that made me wonder. What do other teens listen to to get them ready for class? Is it the same kind-of-lame-but-mostly-awesome-music from the 2000s that I listen to, or is it the polar opposite?  That is how this social experiment got started; pure curiosity.

I talked to a group of 10 guys and 10 girls to get an idea of what others are downloading illegally to their iPhones. Here is what I found out:

Girls Answers:                                                                                   
Carly Rae Jepsen
Adam Lambert
Celtic Women
Josh Groban
Rascal Flatts
NeedtoBreathe
Kenny Chesney
George Strait
Tim McGraw
Afrojack
Beyonce
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Ellie Goulding
Deadmau5
Brad Paisley
Miranda Lambert
Luke Bryan
Eric Church

Guys Answers:
Boston
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
My Chemical Romance
Childish Gambino
2Pac
J. Cole
Jack Johnson
Rick Ross
Roscoe Dash
Drake
B.O.B
Skrillex
John Mayer
Rebelution
Blink 182
All Time Low
Sum 41

As I was expecting, there is a HUGE variety of music being played around campus. There were some musical choices that I was surprised about because I thought either just our moms or 45-year-old biker dudes listened to. But nonetheless, there are some very talented musical choices between the guys and girls.

Even though all of these choices are different, their reason is the same: to help us make it through the day. I know that when I’m walking to class and Into the Ocean by Blue October starts playing, I can survive my grueling U.S. History class. College is filled with diversity, but we all do have one thing in common, our love of music. 

 Keegan is a sophomore at UCF majoring in Environmental Studies and is part of the HCUCF team as an editorial writer. Keegan is obsessed with all things Disney and is currently training for a marathon. If she survives, she will attend law school and dedicate her life to making the hospitality industry as environmentally friendly as possible. 
Nicholas Osler graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2014 with a degree in Interpersonal/Organizational Communication. Connect with him on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasosler