The Student Room Group

Why are university students so unable to be individual?

I'm talking about following the crowd, thinking/doing the same things etc. Why is there no individuality among them? This is not reflected at all outside of university where people have many individual qualities views/beliefs etc.
Reply 1
for a lot of people it simply comes with age
Reply 2
Original post by gjd800
for a lot of people it simply comes with age

That's a good point but if it's an age thing, you'd think it would be the same in school. But there's loads of individuality in places like sixth form.
Guess it might depend on what uni you go to? I was certainly encouraged and stretched to be an individual. This was partly due to the teaching structure and the rigorous nature of the uni, but also because I was in a varied mix of people socially, so was exposed to how "the other side" think/live, etc. :yep:
Reply 4
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
Guess it might depend on what uni you go to? I was certainly encouraged and stretched to be an individual. This was partly due to the teaching structure and the rigorous nature of the uni, but also because I was in a varied mix of people socially, so was exposed to how "the other side" think/live, etc. :yep:

What do you mean by a varied mix of people? Just curious.
Original post by ukwonderer
What do you mean by a varied mix of people? Just curious.

I mean people who were socially and politically different to me. Also, many of them had had a much more privileged education than me. I went from a comprehensive school in Hounslow borough of Greater London (aka Bend It Like Beckham land), to a uni where I was befriending sons of Earls. I had to mix closely with people who had had very different upbringings, ideologies, and world views/experiences to me :yep:
Reply 6
Original post by ukwonderer
That's a good point but if it's an age thing, you'd think it would be the same in school. But there's loads of individuality in places like sixth form.

It wasn't like that at mine but this was a long time ago. Everyone looked different, sure, but there was broadly a continuity of thought, so to speak
I think because uni is a new rite of passage thing which all young people enroll in not knowing what it's all about, and have to establish even more norms like freshers week traditions and whatever to make it a 'thing'. Uni tropes

unfortunately it's kinda just a mass produced experience now in my view, at least was at my uni. I was totally the odd one out but stood by it lol
I’m as different as you get, so I guess I disprove your claim :h:
People consciously choose to conform.
Most uni students are still young, have just become independent for the first time and are just trying to figure themselves out, make some friends and fit in. It's just a phase people have to go through sometimes whilst maturing.

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