College kids
By Sissy15
@sissy15 (13515)
United States
August 30, 2026 2:00am CST
I live in a college town, which can be a nice thing at times because the university provides a lot of help for the town and has activities throughout the year. A lot of the college kids can be kind and helpful and can offer a lot to the community.
The issue is that a lot of the college kids can be problematic. Townies don't particularly love the college kids because of the bad ones who cause issues. We get ones who come here and cause nothing but trouble.
Today I was reminded exactly why I hate dealing with them. My husband and I decided to do a late-night run to McDonald's since we ate earlier today. Drunk college kids were all along downtown bar-hopping. They were jaywalking and running out into the street in front of cars. One was walking down the side of the road downtown when there was a perfectly good sidewalk that wasn't super busy where he was walking, and he was wearing black, so my husband honked at him, and he got mad and started screaming at us. Yes, he was on the side of the road, but he was downtown, and it would have been easy to hit him by accident.
I get that the university helps provide for the community, and the kids that are helpful and give back aren't the ones I can't stand; it's the ones out partying every weekend and causing chaos. I don't mind kids going to bars, but I do mind them being stupid and walking out into the road in front of cars and fighting and causing issues. They are the reason the townies hate college kids, because there are so many who are out being stupid, and we have to deal with them. Our stores get busy, and the college kids act ridiculous while out and about. There are a lot of great college kids; I've met several, but it's the other ones that give them all a bad name.
Two things can be true: the college can provide for the community and have decent college kids while also bringing annoying college kids who are being stupid in public and causing chaos. I feel bad for the ones who are decent and give back to the community and have to deal with the hatred from the townies because of their moronic peers.
I actually, for the most part, live in a safe college town. A lot of college towns have bad reputations, but ours is actually safe as a whole and has a decent reputation in comparison to most. The problematic college kids still cause issues; it's just not as bad as a lot of college towns.
2 people like this
2 responses
@sissy15 (13515)
• United States
30 Aug
I agree; I was grumbling about how I hated college kids while driving through downtown, but I know it isn't all of them. Those particular kids were the reason I can't stand them and why townies don't like when they're here. I know people who live in tourist towns feel that way about tourists too, but the reality is it's not all tourists who are the problem either, and getting angry whenever they see a tourist seems pretty immature, especially when the tourist hasn't done anything to them. I have no problem when I see college students simply existing as long as they aren't causing issues. I have seen where people in tourist towns get angry because someone dares to visit their town, even though tourists are the reason for a lot of those towns' economy. I get the struggle of hating it when people who don't live somewhere year-round or only come to visit cause issues, but I also understand the boost they give the economy. I try not to hold everyone accountable for the actions of some. There are a lot of problematic college students, but there are also a lot who are not problematic.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (128143)
• United States
30 Aug
I also live in a college town, but we don’t have those problems very often. You’re right that there are good ones as well as the bad ones, but we seem to have gotten mostly good ones. It actually really surprises me because when when we moved to this college town 29 years ago, I thought the university would attract trouble. Luckily, they really haven’t.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (13515)
• United States
1 Sep
The college town I live in is one of the safest college towns around. It's ranked the 33rd safest nationally and the 2nd safest in the state of Ohio. Unfortunately, there are still bad ones mixed in that cause trouble. I have found I have no patience for the college kids who go out and party and walk out in front of cars. There are a lot of college kids who are problematic, but they aren't the majority. I remember this when I'm feeling incredibly frustrated by the actions of some of them. I have lived in this area my entire life so I'm mostly used to it, but sometimes it's incredibly frustrating. The college does a lot for the town, and I try to remember that when I'm in the midst of dealing with people who are being particularly idiotic.
1 person likes this
