9 Things you should know if you went to University in the 80s’

In one monumental decade the 80s’ saw the rise of the perm and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Generation X, otherwise known as the Baby Boomers, existed in an era of dial-up internet, vinyl records and the first coming of Reeboks. The university experience was a far cry from Facebook Socials, late night Uber rides and online lecture slides.

Over the decades hair may have become tamer, but the attendance rate of uni-goers has remained relatively much the same. To commemorate the Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD release of Everybody Wants Some!!, we have ranked the top 9 things you’d recognise if you went to University in the 80’s.

1.The Handlebar Moustache

The Handlebar Moustache was the quintessential facial accessory of the 80s’, and reserved for the privileged minority who were at the peak of pubescence. To emulate Lionel Ritchie or mirror Freddie Mercury was a facial-hair feat achieved by few. Nonetheless, the handlebar shaped a generation of moustached hunks that swarmed university campuses leaving a path of swooning girls.

2.The Music

You know you went to uni in the 80s’ if at one point in time you were asked to see someone’s record collection. Thanks to Cyndi Lauper, Time after Time the ‘80s has been referred to as one of the most pivotal times in music. The birth of MTV, punk rock and Madonna were only some of the decade’s musical breakthroughs. If The Sugarhill Gang, ‘Rapper’s Delight’ doesn’t strike a chord with you, then listen to ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ the unofficial soundtrack to university in the 80s’.

3.The Cars

If you went to University in the 80’s and had a car, chances are it was loud in more ways than one. The 21st Centuries economical and silent Prius is the polar-opposite to cars in the days before emission regulations. Despite being heard well before being seen, to get from A-to-B at Uni in the 80’s four wheels and a sound system were absolutely essential.

4.The Scrunchies

The scrunchie was the hair adornment that took a generation by storm. Bejewelled, fluorescent, velvet – the wardrobe mishaps were endless. Like a virus, the scrunchie spread across campuses and evolved into the side-ponytail, thankfully for the graduating classes in the 1980s Snapchat wasn’t even a twinkle in its developer’s eye.

5.Sub-standard Student accommodation

Student accommodation in the 1980’s makes 21st Century halls look like a luxury Hilton Resort. The meaning of ‘shared accommodation’ has been redefined over the decades. Communal lines weren’t the only thing to be crossed – bare necessities such as hot showers, cooking facilities and a Starbucks around every corner were just some of the woes students of the 80’s never had to endure. From pipes breaking to floors concaving, university in the 80’s was an eye opening experience!

6.The Fashion Tribes

Gone, but never forgotten are the days that Alice Cooper influenced impressionable young teens by wearing black-eyeliner giving rise to the punk rocker. Fashion tribes shaped the university experience in the 80s – jocks, goths, punks, theatre kids – the identities, styles and cliques were endless. Thankfully, cult classics from ‘The Breakfast Club’ to ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ allows us to take a trip down memory lane to a time where it was acceptable to look like a Major League baseball player one day, and a cast member in Dirty Dancing the next.

7.The Big Hair

The ozone layer took a significant hit in the 80s’. Hair, just like the atmosphere, became bigger, thicker and heat damaged. The obsession with Hairspray reached new heights when turned into a 1988 musical. Unless you’re Brian May the crimped, curled, permed locks have all but gone back down to acceptable proportions. However, it is an undeniable fact that if you went to uni in the 80s your head would have grown twice the size, even if it was only filled with half the information.

8.The Landline Phone Calls

Mobiles, texting, Instant Messenger are just three things that would be a foreign concept beyond any French lecture at Uni in the 80s. In the distant years before the mobile, people had to keep numbers in phonebooks and pick up the receiver to make contact with the outside world. Meaning the dating scene for university students during the 80s wasn’t quite as easy as swiping right.

9.The Jelly Shoes

Whoever said you can’t have comfort and style obviously didn’t go to uni in the 80s and didn’t know about jelly shoes. Stylish may be a push, but the older and better looking croc became a sensation across campuses. The PVC footwear that came in any colour and were permitted with socks have crept back into the style-sphere over the years.