Even if you were Steven Glansberg in high school, you find your niche at the collegiate level. You always have someone to chill with, whether it’s the Japanese exchange student down the hall or the guy in your writing class who is legit the only other guy in your writing class.
But friendships among bros in college can be just as volatile as the stock market. So you need those tight bromances that can last. Though some may actually only last one semester.
Let’s roll through the different types of college bromances. Who knows, maybe I’ll develop a new one before I graduate in May.
- The Friend You’re Way Too Similar With
In college you always have that one friend who on paper is just like you. Same interests, similar haircut, even got a birthmark in the same spot (above the right cheek). The relationship with this friend is strong. He’s easily in your inner circle and one of your go-to’s to play a game of Madden or go out on the town.
But sometimes having the same personality and temperament can cause clashes. Like when you call kills on his fries but the next day he’s asking where the leftovers are. Or when he beats you on a Hail Mary in Madden and you think he’s showboating just a litttttle too much. Or when he invests in a failing internet company you bought a t-shirt from that you swore would break even.
At the end of the day, this guy is your dude. Even if people can’t tell who is who when you’re clearly better looking.
- The Complementary Piece
This dude has the opposite temperament of you, but you get along great. Maybe you’re the type of guy who talks more than he breathes but your boy here likes to listen. You’re the one cracking raunchy jokes to strangers and he’s the one with inhibition. You’re a two bud heavy kind of guy and he slurps down a 12-pack before you step in the kitchen.
Basically he’s way more chill than you but it just works.
- Freshman Year Freddy
Freshman Year Freddy just won’t go away. You were forced to be friends with him and now you’re trapped. Maybe he was the only semi-tolerable guy on your floor, maybe he was your intramural team captain or maybe he bought everyone booze and charged a fee of friendship.
This isn’t really a bromance at all actually. It’s more of a potential bromance gone wrong because this dude is actually a stalker and doesn’t understand that one hang doesn’t equal best friends.
- The Other Guy
You always learn to love The Other Guy. At first he’s the one in your crew you don’t have a lot in common with. You’re clearly the least-close twosome of the group but everyone ignores it. It’s not really explicitly said but let’s just say you guys would never cross swords after a night of drinking.
But The Other Guy grows on you. A couple awkward dining hall meals and soon you guys are making jokes about your lack of closeness. Next thing you know this dude’s passed out on an uncomfortable chair in your basement back on Long Island.
- The Friend That Pulls
The Friend That Pulls presents a complicated relationship. On one hand he’s a good guy and you always have a good time chilling. On the other hand he’s pulling chicks from dorms you haven’t even heard of while you’re struggling to keep up a Tinder convo. Definitely alters the relationship, but once you pick your game up you guys make an unstoppable duo.
- Mr. Down For Whatever
The first cousin of The Friend That Pulls, this guy gets you into some interesting situations. You don’t see him that often but when you do you pull hijinks that make the kids from Captain Underpants like look amateurs.
The bromance here is based off sheer quality of hangs not volume. Important distinction for anyone considering this friendship route.
- The Mutual Bro
He’s bros with your bro and your bros with his bro. So by that logic there’s some kind of bloodline share. By the transitive properties of bros, you guys are also bros.
- Dude You Secretly Hate
Now this is a person in any friend group, not just college friend groups. But in college, friendships go up and down. One day you like a person, the other day they steal your textbook and sell it on eBay and don’t tell you about it so now you have no textbook. But this guy you’ve had a bad feeling about since day one. He’s part of the group but how do you deal with him?
Just stick to conversation points of interest. Don’t venture into areas that may cause disagreements. Kid’s not a good friend anyway.
- Situational Bro
He’s probably subletting your apartment since your buddy went abroad. You may think he’s just a filler bro. Wrong. He’s now part of the crew.
- Same Major Guy
You guys don’t chill outside the classroom. But in class he’s your go-to in discussing weekend plans without explicitly inviting each other to anything. This is a shallow bromance but can be useful when you need someone to chat with in history 202.