Students Can’t Cope Anymore So They’re Posting Online And These 30 Memes Are Spot On

We asked Bacon for his perspective about college life, and what advice he'd give new students to help them truly make the most of their university experience.

The founder of GBM Group and That Student Page told Bored Panda in an email that being social and being open to new experiences is what students should focus on.

"I would recommend for those starting university to really try put yourself out there in the first month," Bacon shared.

"Try new things and make sure you're present with people—it's much easier to make friends when others are also looking to do so," he said.

Meanwhile, we were also curious to get the GBM Group founder's thoughts on what professors can do to connect with their students a bit more and how they could make their teaching material more relatable.

"I think this depends on the subject. But for anything new or social, I'd say including real-life examples."

Bacon said that this is "so students can relate or visualize better than reading from a textbook, which will most likely be dated."

Coursera points out that a key aspect of achieving success is showing up. “Regarding academic success, attending class and during office hours can impact your overall success in many ways.”

For one, going to your lectures and seminars is the primary way you’ll learn about new topics. Reading through your textbook is useful, sure, but it’s just one part of the puzzle. When you’re physically attending classes, you show your professors in a very real way that you care about doing well.

Meanwhile, office hours are a fantastic way to improve your academic performance and create an authentic rapport with your professors and advisors beyond the classrooms and lecture halls.

“Many students use office hours to clarify confusing concepts, find out their grades, get advice on future career objectives, or simply socialize. Professors and advisors have a wealth of knowledge—use that knowledge to move closer to your goals. And later, as you prepare for life after college, whether that involves grad school or applying for jobs, these are the people you might one day ask for a letter of recommendation,” Coursera says.

Students also ought to focus on their physical and mental health (though that advice holds true no matter what chapter of your life you’re in). For one, you want to make sure that you’re getting enough sleep. Otherwise, you’ll impair your body and brain’s ability to function and learn new things.

Eating a healthy, nutritious, and balanced diet, getting lots of movement, spending time with positive people, drinking plenty of water, moderating your vices: all of these things have a direct impact on how you feel and how well you do, well, pretty much anything.

Meanwhile, the Harvard Summer School suggests taking breaks between your study sessions in order to boost the retention of new information.

“Studies have shown that wakeful rest plays just as important a role as practice in learning a new skill. Rest allows our brains to compress and consolidate memories of what we just practiced. Make sure that you are allowing enough time, relaxation, and sleep between study sessions so your brain will be refreshed and ready to accept new information.”

Going to university is, for many people, a massive change. Unless you’re attending a local college, it possibly means that you’ll be moving to another city, state, or country, and starting life on your own.

You’ll probably be moving out of your parents’ place, and that means taking on lots of new responsibilities. For one, you’ll be responsible for the basics like buying the groceries, cooking your food, and doing all the chores. You’ll have to learn to juggle all of that with your studies, part-time job, and leisure time.

You’ll have to make sure that you stay disciplined and carve out enough time every week to study. Ideally, you want to find some sort of balance so you’re not just studying or partying 24/7.

University life is about more than just lectures, deadlines, and seminars… and it’s also far more than just going to parties, bars, or clubs every night. Leaning too hard into either lifestyle might not be the healthiest thing to do.

College life is about finding out who you are as an individual and what you truly want out of life. You’re trying out new things. You’re experimenting. And you’re building your self-esteem and the skillset you’ll need for your future careers. You’re looking for situations where you thrive and where you don’t.

It’s about taking part in networking events, traveling, being social and meeting new people, interacting with your professors and coursemates, doing extracurricular activities and internships, and taking on random part-time jobs.

The popular That Student Page currently boasts 273k followers on Facebook. The page is run by social creative agency GBM Group, who also curate many well-known meme social accounts all over the internet, from the awesome Great British Memes and Great British Foods to That Sport Page, That Girl Page, and many more.

That Student Page says in its bio that it's an account by students that shares relatable and hilarious memes about student life.

During a previous interview with Bored Panda, GBM Group founder George Bacon said that he created the company back in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, after finishing his degree and graduating from Portsmouth University.

The last time we reached out to him, the GBM-owned network was 10 million followers strong, with most of the social media audience based in the United Kingdom. At the time, the London-based GBM Group team consisted of 7 people, including both full-time and freelance employees.

What was your university experience like, dear Pandas? What do you miss the most about those days? What aspects of college life did you dislike the most? Do you feel nostalgic for that chapter of your life?

What advice would you give anyone who’s about to become a uni student? Share your thoughts in the comments below! We’d love to hear all about your best and worst college experiences.