Friends teaches us a lot about life. For example: how to find your lobster, how to properly make an English trifle and the complex lyrics to “Smelly Cat.” You know, all of the important things in life. One of the greatest takeaways from the show is that these are real people you just might end up meeting in your life. More specifically, people that you’re going to meet in college. See, TV can teach you something about life.
Keep reading for the top 10 Friends characters you’re going to meet — or already have met — over the next four years.
1. Janice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kvCnOVetKQ&t=29s
You’re enjoying a meal to yourself in the dining hall. After a long day, you deserve some alone time before cracking open your books again. Until— “Oh. My. Gawd.” —you hear that one person call out your name. You can’t even hide from them, because they’ve already seen you. All you can do is smile politely and hope that they’ll take the hint and go away. But that’s the thing— they’re immune to catching a hint. As much as you’d like to avoid them, they just seem to be everywhere you are. They’re in your major, live on your floor or go to the gym at the same time as you. The moment you forget they exist, they pop back into your life again— but their everlasting presence in your life is actually one of the most endearing things about them. Sure, they have a strange, annoying vibe that you just can’t pinpoint but bio wouldn’t be the same without them. It wouldn’t be surprising if they invite themselves to your wedding one day.
2. Ross and Julie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWSI3hMhxO4&t=19s
Can they please just…stop making out? Sure, they’re cute and all but the entire room doesn’t have to know that they’re in love. You know them—the couple that just can’t seem to get their hands off of each other. They extend their separation issues to the library during finals week as you’re having a mental breakdown over your physics exam. “You hang up!” “No, you hang up!” Just like Rachel, you want to grab their phone and finish the job for them. But no one knows how to tell them to knock it off. Aside from their excessive PDA, they’re both incredibly nice people. They’re the ones that actually take the time to get to know you and cheer you up when you’re sad. Every piece of you wants to hang out with them on your free weekend—and you should. Just make sure you don’t end up as the third wheel.
3. David the Science Guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpqYhDcxJgw&t=9s
In another world, you guys would’ve been college sweethearts—if only the timing were better. Everything about them is absolutely perfect. They’re smart and know exactly how to make you laugh when you need it. It’s easy to imagine your lives together. Even if you don’t want to admit it, you thought about what your kids would look like. Everyone knows you’ll end up getting married. The only thing keeping you apart is your careers. There’s a good chance they might end up working in a town across the world, but they’re always going to be thinking about you. When they come back to visit you, you’ll know they were the one that got away. The two of you were always meant to fall in love, just not be together.
4. Ugly Naked Guy
Doesn’t this guy realize dorms come with curtains for a reason? Whether you’re in your room or passing by on the street you always manage to accidentally see into this person’s room. You don’t even know their name, but it feels like you know every detail of their life. Part of you wants them to draw the curtains for good— except you’ve also become secretly invested in their life. Are they going to end up passing that exam they pulled an all-nighter studying for? Is that girl that keeps coming into their room actually their girlfriend? Who knows, but you feel inclined to flex your people watching skills until those blinds stay shut for good.
5. Amy Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiGPXT_Km9g&t=19s
No matter what university you end up at there will always be an Amy Green. You’ll probably find them in the laundry room calling their mom for help with sorting their clothes—as this would be the first laundry attempt of their lifetime. They grew up without worrying about anything and that’s the best thing about them. They can teach everyone about how to let loose once in a while. During finals week, they convince you to close the books for once with a night on the town or a shopping spree. In one year, they’ve probably changed their major around five times. Like Amy, some of these career choices may even sound made up (no, a baby stylist is not an actual major). They’ve definitely seen their fair share of college courses and could give you some advice on what not to take next semester. You might have to teach them how to microwave Ramen, though.
6. Fun Bobby
You’re scrolling through your Instagram one day to see one of your friends has made it onto the barstool account for the tenth time. It’s incredible. On any occasion, they’ll find a reason to have a drink in their hand. That doesn’t mean they’re a total ditz, though. Their day drinking says nothing about how smart they actually are. During the week, you’ll actually have a lot of serious conversations about life and the future. You never knew that they read the paper every morning and are interested in studying abroad. After a while, though, you feel the need to stealthily take away the drink in their hand when their loosey-goosey party persona turns a bit too loose for proper function. You’re happy to take care of them, but sometimes you’ve gotta deal with your own problems. Looks like weekend study sessions together won’t be happening in the near future.
7. Mr. Heckles
We all know quiet hours exist, but that doesn’t mean they’re always enforced. That’s not a problem for most of your neighbors either. For one person on the hall, though, quiet hours mean everything. If you want to call home to check in on your family, they’re already at your door complaining about the noise. It’s hard to look past the number of times they’ve gone to the RA about the “noise,” but they’re actually pretty cool when you get to know them. You’ll learn all about their outstanding academic record and the array of internships they’ve accumulated during their time in college. They weren’t always bitterly knocking down people’s doors or viciously poking their ceiling with a broom. The truth is, you can actually end up learning a lot about college and yourself from them. Like Mr. Heckles, it’s not until they’re gone that you learn to appreciate them.
8. Chip Matthews
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFOIrZIf9wM
The transition to college can be pretty difficult, but there’s one person that takes it especially hard. Though, they barely seem to realize just how much they miss home. Almost every weekend they take a trip back to their high school to make it in time for the homecoming game or prom. Their Instagram feed is filled with “throwback” pictures from their senior year. While they might wear their letterman jacket constantly, they’ll always be a little piece of home. You’ll feel more inclined to call home to your parents every once in a while and to check in on your high school friends when you spend time with this person. Every second with them is a little bit nostalgic— you recall the good and bad memories from the past four years of your life. It’ll make you realize that high school wasn’t all that bad, but you’re so glad to be in college now.
9. Monica
You’ve been handed another group project— a.k.a. the worst thing to ever happen in college. You begin to dread the work even more when you discover that you’ll be working withthem — the Monica. Whether you’re having a class discussion or working in pairs they’ll always draw attention to themselves with an “I know! I know! I know!” There’s not a single social event that they don’t plan down to the very last detail. It’s all done with post it notes and color coordination in their planner that’s thicker than your textbooks. While their controlling nature can be a little unsettling, you know they’ll always be there for you. At the end of a bad day, they’ll be at your side with homemade cookies and tissues. The best way to stay on their good side is to show them the same unconditional support and avoid inviting friends to hang out at your dorm. Everyone knows they’re the hostess. We all know a Monica, and if you don’t then it’s probably you.
10. Chandler in a Box
Ah, the person that thinks they’re doing something while doing absolutely nothing at all. News flash: this is everyone at college, including yourself. Sometimes hiding in a metaphorical box just gets the best of us. You never meant to end up in the box, it just kind of happens. You make some kind of excuse about why your questionable actions are meaningful anyway. Chandler proves his loyalty to Joey by sitting in the box for six hours; a gesture that makes perfect sense to them—threefold—but to everyone else swinging by just seems a bit pointless. Sure, your eight-hour binge of Netflix holds great significance to you for [insert excuse here]. That ten page paper can write itself tomorrow; something we all hope and dream one day might actually happen. It needed to be done, I get it. We all do it. Just make sure you crawl out of the box every once in a while.
