Nine types of Cambridge students you’ll see on BeReal

BeReal. We all know and love it, even when the eagerly-anticipated notification comes while you’re in the library, for the third day in a row.

But there is more to life at Cambridge than library sessions, we promise. Although there is something rather heartwarming about seeing a room full of hardworking students abandon the task at hand in solidarity to take a cheeky BeReal. I have seen people jump for joy when the notification arrives mid-pres, while out on a scenic walk, or (gasp!) in a club.

It’s a beautiful thing really, and one thing you learn as a seasoned BeReal veteran is that our lives aren’t quite as exciting as we think they are. We are all creatures of habit. So, without further ado, here are the nine types of Cambridge student you’ll definitely be used to seeing on BeReal.

The hard worker

Really kicking it off with a bang, I would say this one accounts for a good 80 per cent of my feed. But hey, what do you expect? Pros include being able to zoom in and have a peek at your friends’ essays. Because let’s face it, we all love to be nosy. It’s nice to know you’re not alone when it starts to feel like you’ve become one with the library chair  – at least your friends look similarly exhausted/stressed/overworked!

8am library sessions are not the one (Image credit: Ellie Moss. Screenshot from BeReal)

The social butterfly

The one type of BeRealer who somehow manages to defy all expectations of realness. How do they manage to fit a mathematically-impossible number of grinning friends into the picture? Do they ever work? Or watch TV without a horde of friends in tow? The answer is either no, or they’re bribing someone at BeReal HQ.

Nothing says fun like a room of people watching you down a bottle of Mainsbury’s finest! (Image credit: Flynn Ryan. Screenshot via BeReal)

The athlete

For those of us who just about manage to triumphantly wake up in time for our 9ams while forgetting that exercise is a thing, these people are pros at making you feel inadequate. They’re somehow ALWAYS outside, they’ve been up since 6am, and substitute caffeine for endorphins and windswept hair. If this is you, I won’t lie, I’m a little jealous. Does walking to my lectures and back count as exercise?

This is a special shoutout to everyone who makes rowing a personality trait (Image credit: Amelia Huntington. Screenshot via BeReal)

The chef

Buttery? Don’t know her. This is the person you see in Mainsbury’s with a checklist and a meal plan for the week. Similarly to the above category, they are in their “clean-girl era”, and inevitably their post will be met with the admiring realmojis of their friends who are eating cheesy pasta (it does count as cooking, right?) for the fifth time this week.

Will I ever buy a chopping board? Signs point to no (Image credit: Maddy Wright. Screenshot via BeReal)

The BeFake

We’re all guilty of this from time to time. You do sometimes find yourself wondering if anyone really wants to see you watching Netflix in bed for the fifth night in a row. The urge to ignore that notification can be oh-so-tempting…

But, in this case, I’m talking about the people who seem to be perpetually incapable of posting on time. Ever. Maybe they’re just never on their phones, and it’s merely a happy coincidence that they spotted the notification while at Rumboogie, 10 hours late. In any case, you don’t fool us, and my personal stance is that these people should be permanently banned from the app.

This one gets extra points knocked off for being at a Chelsea game (Image credit: Martha Vine. Screenshot via BeReal)

The TooReal

Following on from my perhaps harsh treatment of the BeFake, sometimes it IS okay to ignore the notification if you’re showering, on the toilet, or taking a pregnancy test (yes, I was unlucky enough to see that last one firsthand). There’s a fine line between the funny sort of shock factor (i.e. post-supo crying sesh) and the properly disturbing. I promise, we would much rather see a “posted six mins late” than be emotionally scarred. You do get points for authenticity though.

Gardies just doesn’t hit the same when you’re not on the verge of blacking out (Image credit: Ellie Moss. Screenshot via BeReal)

The scaredy cat

This is for the person who, apparently, thinks that we’re all just dying for a look at their ceiling. Ever-elusive, they’re masters of the quick camera tilt and… to be honest I’m not sure there’s much more I can say about this one except for: why??

They really do know how to keep us wanting more (Image credit: Imogen Carter. Screenshot via BeReal)

The hungover one

If we’re lucky enough to get a pre-12pm notification after Rumboogie or Lola’s, BeReal will inevitably be a parade of bleary-eyed students, last night’s makeup and all. Hairbrushes are a thing of the past. Perhaps some of your friends have decided to brave their morning lectures, emotional support coffee in hand.  If you zoom in you may be able to spot last night’s clothes abandoned on the floor, and you come to realise that perhaps we’re not all so different after all.

It really is a thing of beauty.

Bonus points if you manage to drag yourself to your friend’s room for a morning debrief (Image credit: Amelia Huntington. Screenshot via BeReal)

The sleeping beauty

This is the clean(er)-girl variation of the hungover BeReal. If you find yourself BeReal-ing in bed, you’re most likely one of the following:

A) You’ve decided to have a self care evening, complete with Netflix, a cup of tea, and freshly-washed hair. You tell yourself you’re going to get an early night and be up by sunrise the next morning to be #productive. Then somehow it gets to 2am – c’est la vie.

B) You, impressively, manage to be in bed whether the notification goes off at 10am, or 5pm. To be fair, why brave King’s Parade, or face putting together a Sidge-worthy outfit, when you can snooze your alarm for the tenth time in a row? Points for realness.

Gilmore girls = the only way to pretend that studying is fun (Image credit: Ellie Moss. Screenshot via BeReal)

I’m not entirely sure what the moral of the story here is, other than that it’s really not that difficult to post on time. The best thing about BeReal is that there aren’t actually any rules at all! So, go forth and make people jealous with your having-your-life-together-ness, entertain us with your drunken antics, or find comfort in knowing that you’re not alone in your boringness.

And above all, keep it real!

Feature image credits: Amelia Huntington

Related articles recommended by this author:

• Top 10 Biggest Cambridge Icks
• A Cambridge term in Spotify playlists
• New vs. old colleges – who has more fun?