Diary of a Gen Z Student: Are you counting on us to contribute to society and the greater good?

Though maybe if you can make it through the clubbing and college bars, you can prevail over any hardship...

Diary of a Gen Z Student: "You’re telling me that the guy doing tequila shots chased with vodka and Red Bull at 7pm on a Tuesday night will be my doctor one day? I wouldn’t trust him to identify a stethoscope, never mind use the bloody thing." Picture: Barry Cronin

Have you ever looked at college students and 20-somethings on a night out? Like really looked at them? There tends to be a lot to observe, in my experience. It’s what I imagine it would look like to let zoo animals roam free in the savannah... if the savannah was a dingy, sticky, sweaty nightclub. A nightclub carrying all sorts of health risks — strep throat, alcohol poisoning, STIs, boys who are ‘into crypto’, history students, etc.

If you’re standing in the queue at the college bar on a Friday night, there’ll be lots to observe. This is a unique type of watering hole, though there’s a distinct lack of water consumption taking place. You’ll see people bumble on about their modules and exams. You’ll see people sneaking alcohol in. There’ll be a few with their laptops out, furiously typing up an assignment that’s probably due in 20 minutes. The percentage of assignments submitted under the influence of alcohol, from a table in the college bar, would certainly not inspire hope in our future workforce. And there’ll always be some others engaging in what looks like a competition to see who can shove their tongue furthest down someone’s throat. A competition you may win... but at what cost? Having everyone in your course in the audience? It’s one competition where I’m not 100% convinced a winner really exists.