Most students spend a lot of their time studying and reading, but one of my favourite pastimes is people watching: noticing all the different quirks of the people around you and they way people interact with their environment.

It’s not judging, just observing and, at times, admiring. It is best done with at least one other person. This way you can share your observations and know of the people coming from the other direction. A sidekick prevents you from missing any of the rare specimens. It also helps to disguise your people watching. When you and your friend are people watching together, it looks like you’re just hanging out on campus — not there for the purpose of staring at people around you. You appear to be less creepy.

People watching must be done discretely, without drawing attention to oneself. Do not change your position abruptly to catch a glimpse of somebody. Rather, pretend to be looking for something from your bag. When you’re trying to look at somebody behind you, try scratching your chin with your shoulder. Quick movements can startle people and attract unwanted attention, and then you become the one being watched.

Pick a location that has a steady flow of people coming from various directions. Prime time for people watching is towards the middle of the day, when the campus population is at its peak, and between classes.

Here is a list of my favourite people to spot on campus. The numbered ones correspond to the bingo board.

1. Long beard, long hair, “you know what they say about men with long beards?”
2. Full beard, bald head, “it migrated!”
3. Moustaches: these have lost their irony
4. Trimmed beard, styled hair: “an all-time classic”
5. The unintentional facial hair: common around essay season and finals, teenstaches also fall under this category.
6. Girl who wears heels every day, even in the winter.
7. Pregnant women: these can be very rare depending on the season; your best chance of spotting one is around spring.
8. Children on campus: they’re so unexpected.
9. People who are way too overdressed.
10. People who are way too underdressed.
11. That guy with dreads, you know the one I’m talking about.
12. The person who walks into something or somebody while texting.

Other favourites:

• That person you see around all the time. You don’t actually know them but it seems as though you should.
• The avoidance of a collision and the awkward dance that follows.
• That person you know from high school. You know who they are and they know who you are but you don’t acknowledge each other.
• That person you wave at but they don’t see you.
• The awkward run: who knows where they want to go or why they are in such a rush but hopefully they get there in time.

And my all time favourite that can be found around the city:

• Children on leashes: it seems like the parents are treating their child like a dog, but at least they know where their kid is without having to look at them!

So they next time you have 20 minutes to kill until your bus comes, don’t study, people watch!

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graphic: Brianna Whitmore