Cliques. They are the one thing that everyone fears and reveres more than anything when going to a new school. The only thing worse than being part of a clique is not being part of one. Uncyclopedia.com posted a handy list of cliques to watch out for in university – and new information suggests that those cliques might exist due in part to musical preference. Recently, there have been studies out of the University of Edinburgh that suggest that the type of music one prefers may actually lead to clues about their personality. Professor Adrian North, leading researcher on the topics, states, “People do actually define themselves through music and relate to other people through it.” Music is a big part of the bonding experience when you get to school, especially if you’re in res and you’re sharing walls and bedrooms with people. If music is an important part of your life and you want to make friends with similar tastes and lifestyles, you have to play the right albums. While the latest hits will surely draw a crowd, some of the older tracks may help you to find common ground with floor mates. Once you learn about what music is saying about you and others, you can help attract the friends you want by using nothing but an iPod dock and, of course, your shining personality. Here are a few album suggestions to get you started:
Clique: Hip Hoppers
Genres: Rap, Hip Hop
Listener personality: High self esteem and outgoing
Albums: Drake, Take Care and Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Clique: Party Hardies
Genre: Dance, Pop
Personality: Creative and outgoing
Albums: Daft Punk, Random Access Memories and Santigold, Master of My Make-Believe
Clique: The Stoners
Genre: Rock, Oldies
Personality: Creative, gentle, at ease
Albums: The Beatles, White Album and Beck, Mellow Gold
Clique: The Cowboys and Cowgirls
Genre: Country/ Western
Personality: Hardworking and outgoing
Albums: Taylor Swift, Red and Florida Georgia Line, Here’s to the Good Times
Clique: The Studiers
Genre: Classical, Easy Rock
Personality: Hardworking, gentle
Albums: Josh Groban, Illuminations and Various Artists, Masters of Classical Music
Clique: The Inbetweeners
Genre: Top 40, A little bit of everything
Personality: Hardworking, gentle, not particularly creative
Albums: Bruno Mars, Unorthodox Jukebox and Adele, 21
Clique: Hipsters
Genres: Indie, Folk
Listener personality: Creative, not particularly gentle, relaxed workers
Albums: Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and Modest Mouse, Good News for People Who Love Bad News