Aesthetics have made their way into this world as stereotypes, tropes and principles. A simple word or phrase, yet it means and contains so much. A simple line to describe exactly who you are, or to describe a group of people.

Ever since stepping foot on campus, I’ve always wanted to figure out what type of aesthetic each college on campus would be. Now, a semester into my college experience, I think I figured it out.

Ogden College of Science & Engineering: Spacecore, labcore 

This one may come as a shocker and it’s even in the name, but because Ogden College of Science & Engineering is known for its different sciences and engineering, I associate the people of Ogden to spacecore and labcore.

Because of what the college is known for and the programs it consists of, I feel like the people who belong to the Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences, physics and astronomy program would fit into the spacecore aesthetic. 

People in this aesthetic love anything to do with space, astrology, stars, planets, the galaxy, and more. So, I wouldn’t be surprised to see those students out at night at Centennial Mall with their telescopes geeking out about the International Space Station floating by.

The other aesthetic I associate with Ogden people is labcore. From the title alone, you could guess it has to do with biology, chemistry and other subjects and that’s exactly what it is.

The people who are in biology, chemistry and other programs that have labs or deal with anything similar fall into this category. This aesthetic is also similar to the science aesthetic.

One assumption I would make about those students in the aesthetic is that they have no friends. That may seem harsh and sad, but it makes sense. Because of endless slideshows, lectures and labs, they’re always so busy and tired. If you do all that and still have friends and time, I have one question: how?

Those people are also cocky and think they can beat you at the next science olympiad. 

Can’t forget about engineering. I also have one question for you all. What do you even do? Build miniature infrastructure out of toothpicks?

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences: Happycore 

CBES is home to many departments including psychology, teacher education, military science and more.

Out of the six programs in CBES, all deal with helping and serving people. The aesthetic that falls into that category is happycore.

Happycore is an aesthetic that is based around happiness and positivity. In each program, especially teacher education, you’ve got to have that.

The groups that could be more associated with the happycore aesthetic are the psychology and teacher education majors.

In psychology, you’re willingly and gladly helping out your patients and in teacher education, you’re training and working to get your degree so you can become a teacher, and teachers need to have positivity.

For teacher education majors and students in the college that are wanting to be teachers, even though I associate you all with happycore, it’s okay to see a therapist. I know I would after dealing with kids all year. Plus that added stress can’t be good for you.

Also, you may try to be positive all the time because of the program, but that doesn’t mean the fake mask you’re wearing shows how they truly feel.

College of Health and Human Services: Science academia 

Science academia is an aesthetic focused on the formal, natural, and social sciences. It is also known as STEM academia.

This could be applied to the people of CHHS. From nursing to kinesiology and public health.

Students who are in CHHS might not go through many labs or experiments like people in Ogden do, but nursing requires knowledge of different body systems, terminology, some math and lots more, making this classification valid, unlike applied human sciences students.

The same thing could be said about exercise science. Like, who choses that and says “Yes, this is what I want to do!”

What even is exercise science? It has to be fake, right?

Potter College of Arts and Letters: Dark academia, light academia

English, music, political science and history are just a few types of programs that are centered in PCAL.

As a member of PCAL, I can confidently say PCAL students primarily fall into the dark and light academia.

Dark academia is an aesthetic that has emphasis on literature, writing, the arts and greek and goth culture. Dark aesthetic people are considered or shown as bookworms, mysterious, poets and artists that fall into the goth category.

This could apply to English majors, history majors, folk majors and art majors. 

Picture this: you’re in your own house as you walk into your study filled with many bookcases of old, worn out books that contain life’s mysteries and figures. You have a globe and quill on your desk along with other books. That’s exactly what dark academia is like.

Like dark academia, light academia also points emphasis on literature, writing, the arts, history and learning, but focuses on the lighter side of things. Light academia could be applied to all majors in PCAL including the ones listed above.

Now, picture the opposite of what was mentioned for dark aesthetic. You’re in your bedroom that consists of light colors, a plant, a cup of tea, and a book on your window seal, a mirror facing your bed and drawings and pictures on your wall surrounding you.

PCAL students don’t have a life because how they are all little bookworm nerds and anti-social they can be. Then there are the philosophy students who are wasting their four years and the threat of working at the nearby Target is imminent. 

Has anyone been sent something grammatically incorrect and you instantly correct it? Have you been called a grammar nazi? Yeah, English majors can relate.

Gordon Ford College of Business : Normcore 

For students in CFCB, I associate them with Normcore.

People who associate themselves with normcore don’t like to distinguish themselves from other people, whether that be clothing or anything else. So, you could say they’re basic.

I mainly chose normcore for CFCB students because anytime I meet someone who’s a part of the college, like a management or economics major, they’re wearing normal outfits or clothing like everyone else and they act and do things other people do.

You wake up one morning and head to your closet. You have a few fancy outfits but like everyday, you pull out a pair of tan cargo shorts, a plain white shirt, and a gray sweatshirt. You put that on along with whihte socks and your NIke shoes.

You look in the mirror and nod. Congrats, you are normal now.

I know that students in CFCB like or have to dress up nicely for a presentation depending on their major or program they’re in, but that gives them more reason to kick back and dress normal for a day.

Besides that, normcore is just normal and honestly, normal is boring.

You might not associate yourself with any of these aesthetics depending on your college and that’s okay, or you might not and want to know more about what aesthetic you are.

It all depends on what you like and what you feel is best, but there are quizzes and websites online that can help you find your true self!

Also, take all of these jabs with a grain of salt! Embrace your inner self!

Commentary writer DJ Stover can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DeJayeJJ.