Student-to-student: Laptop stickers provide a peek into the soul

Some students choose to express themselves through their clothes; others through their music, makeup, haircuts or hobbies.

But an easy way to get a grasp on Badgers’ personalities — their likes and quirks and obsessions — is to look at their laptop cases.

A trend among college students is covering their laptops or its case with stickers.  The clear plastic cases become canvases of creativity and passion, one that is tailored particularly to its owner.

With each specific sticker comes a story — perhaps a meaningful remainder of a favorite vacation or an indication of a favorite movie. 

For UW–Madison senior, Taylor Smith, her two favorite stickers were in two categories: a funny memento and a meaningful one.

Smith laughs while telling a story of a beaver named Beave who was taken in by a woman and later became TikTok famous.

“Eventually he did have to go back into the wild so that was very sad, but she made merch of him so that’s probably my favorite goofy one,” said Smith.

Another sticker caught Smith’s eye though, as she reflected on a work accomplishment she was proud of.

“I have one for the NCAA golf championships, which was a work trip I got to go on,” said Smith. “It was the first time I got to travel with the men’s golf team and it was really cool for me to have a lot of responsibility when it came to social media and reporting on the team.”

Each sticker placed on a laptop, whether it be for laughs or for recollection, means something to its owner.

For Serena Wang, her favorite sticker is a reminder of family and one of her passions: Formula 1 racing. 

On first glance, someone may never guess that Wang’s “#stayhydrated” sticker is related to professional race car driving.

“There’s a team in Formula 1 called Red Bull, and during the pandemic year, a driver for Red Bull was talking to this engineer and being like, ‘Did you hydrate today, did you hydrate today’ and it evolved into random other things,” said Wang. 

Wang describes a class project she did for a journalism class which revolved around Wisconsin’s Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) team. 

 “My brother was on the SAE team when he was in college, which is what got me into Formula 1,” said Wang. 

UW-Madison sophomore Marin Rosen says a laptop without stickers is bland. “It’s just another part of my life that I can personalize and make colorful,” said Rosen.

On the lower left corner of her laptop, Rosen’s case features a pink and red cake with her sorority’s name written on it. But to Rosen, the sticker is more than just a reminder of her organization, but instead one that prompts her to think of a story with a friend.

“One of the girls who gave it to me was also a chapter president of her sorority at a different school and we made a really great connection,” said Rosen. “I’m still in touch with her and we go to each other for advice.”

Some students choose to only put one or two stickers across their cases, careful not to clutter the tool college students use more than practically anything. Others cover their cases entirely with them. But all of them are tokens of individualism, worn proudly.