9 Ways 'Bachelor in Paradise' is Just Like College

College can sometimes be this strange wormhole in which you get stuck between childhood and becoming an adult. Once we started thinking about it, we realized that Bachelor in Paradise isn't so different from the college grind. Not convinced? Here are 9 ways BIP is just like college.

1. The not-so-secret drunkenness

Jorge is not serving tall glasses of milk behind that bar, folks. We see the cast getting cocktails all the time, but there’s rarely any mention of people getting drunk. As if we couldn’t tell from the slurred words in some of Juelia’s confessionals that she’s been hitting the bottle quite hard in her efforts to forget—but really complain about—Joe.

2. The fear of commitment

One of the perks of Bachelor in Paradise is often also the show’s biggest downfall. There’s a rotating assortment of rejects rolling up each week, so everyone is always thinking about whether or not someone better is going to come along. Take Kirk for instance. He’s super freaked out about how fast his relationship with Carly is moving. And Jared is clearly still hung up on Kaitlyn—who he treats as if she was his high school sweetheart. These fellas sound a lot like our freshman year SO.

3. So much pressure

When you’re in college, the intense pressure you feel usually comes from a heavy course load or the dreaded experience that is final exams. But in Paradise, the heat is always on. The struggle to find yourself in a relationship by the rose ceremony, regardless of your feelings, is torturous. Clare’s overwhelming self-pity drives her to give JJ a rose, even though we can’t remember ever seeing them interact. Clare is so frazzled by this that she calls home to dish with that raccoon who is definitely playing hard to get with her. Honestly, we still feel a little weird about it.

4. That one girl everyone thinks is hotter than she is

Samantha is introduced by her former Bachelor castmates as the sweetest person—who had no air time—on Chris Soules’ season. But that doesn’t stop her from latching onto Joe the second she arrives in Paradise. Joe, along with everyone else, seems to think Samantha is the end-all and be-all of hotness, but we don’t really see it.

5. The shifting cliques

We can’t keep up with who is and isn’t friends here. JJ, Jared, and Tanner kind of turn on Joe in defense of Juelia. Dan suddenly cares enough about her to assist in her confrontation with the guy who dumped her without even letting her know. Ashley considers Amber one of her besties… until she asks Dan on a date. This group has gone through more shifts and developments of their platonic relationships in three weeks than we could even begin to tackle in four years.

6. A few awkward hookups

Uncomfortable situations are to be expected in Paradise, with all the hooking up and less-than-amicable splits. While Carly and Kirk thrive after their hotel rendezvous, Dan and Ashley don’t have the same luck. Only trying to make things more unpleasant, Dan’s reasoning for ditching Ashley is she showed her crazy side. Sadly, this forces Ashley to confide in her tropical bird buddies. We’ve totally been there, girl!

7. That one girl who trusts her crush more than her lady friends

This is a classic college mistake. You really like a guy, but when your friends attempt to warn you about his no good ways, you’re not having any of it. And thus we shift back to Samantha who can’t even with what Juelia and Jade are telling her about Joe. Later, we find that Samantha is plotting with the spiky-haired mongrel behind slightly closed doors—not really a college thing, but we’re still mad about it.

8. An excessive amount of immature male bravado

JJ and Joe—almost—threw down over Juelia’s honor. Their blatant arrogance and willingness to hurl pointless threats without ever laying a hand on each other prove that just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you automatically act like one.