2 Days Into College

2023Viral song / TikTok soundsemi-active

Also known as: 2 Days into College · Two Days Into College

2 Days Into College is a 2023 viral TikTok song by Irish singer-songwriter Aimee Carty about college overwhelm, which exploded after Duke basketball player Jared McCain's cover and accumulated over 45 million streams.

"2 Days Into College" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Aimee Carty that went viral on TikTok in late 2023 and early 2024. The track, which captures the overwhelming feelings of starting university life, took off after Carty posted herself singing it on TikTok in December 2023 and exploded further when Duke basketball player Jared McCain posted his own rendition in January 2024. The song racked up over 45 million streams and hit both the UK and Irish singles charts by February 20246.

tiktok sound trendsmusic memesviral song memescampus memesparticipatory video memes

Overview

"2 Days Into College" is a folk-pop song built around the opening line "I'm two days into college and I'm three lectures behind." Carty wrote it about her own experience starting at University College Dublin, weaving in relatable student anxieties like falling behind in lectures, dealing with a messy dorm room, and the pressure to have life figured out6. The song shifts tempo throughout, starting with a quick piano-driven beat before slowing down into more reflective, vulnerable passages1. Its charm lies in the mix of light humor (locking herself out of her dorm, dumping a guy because he doesn't play guitar) and genuine emotional weight about feeling unprepared for adulthood2.

Aimee Carty, a singer-songwriter from Galway, Ireland, first shared the song on TikTok on December 6, 2023. Her video of herself singing the track picked up roughly 14.2 million plays and 2.3 million likes over the following two months5. Two days later on December 8, she posted a second performance video that pulled in over 5 million plays and 594,200 likes5. That same day, Carty released the full-length track on YouTube and streaming platforms, where the YouTube upload alone collected over 176,300 views in its first two months5.

Carty drew directly from the emotions she felt when starting college at University College Dublin6. At just 21 years old at the time of release, she channeled the uncertainty, stress, and low-key comedy of that transition into a song that hit a nerve with students everywhere3.

Origin & Background

Platform
TikTok (original performance), YouTube / streaming platforms (full release)
Key People
Aimee Carty, Jared McCain
Date
2023

Aimee Carty, a singer-songwriter from Galway, Ireland, first shared the song on TikTok on December 6, 2023. Her video of herself singing the track picked up roughly 14.2 million plays and 2.3 million likes over the following two months. Two days later on December 8, she posted a second performance video that pulled in over 5 million plays and 594,200 likes. That same day, Carty released the full-length track on YouTube and streaming platforms, where the YouTube upload alone collected over 176,300 views in its first two months.

Carty drew directly from the emotions she felt when starting college at University College Dublin. At just 21 years old at the time of release, she channeled the uncertainty, stress, and low-key comedy of that transition into a song that hit a nerve with students everywhere.

How It Spread

The song's first wave of virality came almost immediately. Within a day of Carty's original post, other TikTok musicians began dueting the video, layering in their own instruments. On December 7, 2023, TikToker @mikepetroff added drums to the track, earning over 324,000 plays. On December 8, @mitchell_crawford2 posted a lip-dub duet that got 47,700 plays.

The second, much bigger wave came in late January 2024. On January 26, Duke University basketball player Jared McCain posted an acapella version of the song to his TikTok account (@jaredmccain24), singing it with clear enthusiasm. McCain's video hit 3.8 million plays and 537,300 likes within six days. The unexpected crossover of a college athlete singing an Irish folk-pop song caught fire. McCain eventually posted four different versions of his rendition.

Following McCain's video, the song blew up across TikTok. On January 30, TikToker @ndgojordy posted an edit that reached 7.1 million plays and 992,000 likes in just two days. The next day, @adrien_nunez posted a video of himself passionately singing along in his car, pulling 1.9 million plays and 299,800 likes in a single day. North West also uploaded a TikTok video of herself dancing to the song, giving it yet another boost.

By February 1, 2024, the TikTok sound had amassed over 4,900 posts, ranging from photo slideshows to comedic takes on college life. Users like @cjlenos11 posted humorous juxtapositions of their own experiences with the song, with one post about "tryna act dark and mysterious" while the track played in their AirPods pulling 3.1 million plays. The song crossed over to the charts, entering both the official UK and Irish singles charts in February 2024 after surpassing 45 million streams.

Media

How to Use This Meme

The TikTok sound is typically used in one of several ways:

- Singalong videos: Film yourself singing the song, either straight or with exaggerated emotion, as McCain popularized. - Photo slideshows: Set a series of photos from your own college or life transition experience to the track, often with a humorous or ironic twist. - Duets and instrument covers: Add your own musical layer (guitar, drums, harmonies) to Carty's original performance video. - Relatable reaction content: Use the song as background audio while showing the gap between how put-together you look and how chaotic things actually feel, playing on the lyric about everyone saying "you're doing so well" when you can't tell if that's true.

The common thread is content about feeling overwhelmed but trying to roll with it, making the sound a good fit for back-to-school season, new job jitters, or any major life transition.

Cultural Impact

The song's viral run turned Carty from an independent Irish musician into an internationally recognized voice for the college experience. WLOY Loyola Radio called it "the perfect anthem for students at any class level as they navigate the ups and downs of growing up". The Central Trend described it as "a love song for the students out there experiencing stress in any number of ways". Neon Music praised Carty as "a voice for a generation navigating the complexities of young adulthood".

The Jared McCain connection added an unexpected sports angle. A Division I basketball player going viral for singing an Irish indie track showed how TikTok can bridge wildly different audiences. Carty expressed her gratitude on TikTok for the boost McCain's videos gave her career. The song's success also highlighted TikTok's power to launch independent artists without traditional label backing. Carty released the track independently, and social media did the rest.

Fun Facts

Carty wrote the song based on her real experience at University College Dublin.

The fictional love interest in the song is named "Colin," and the narrator dumps him because "he doesn't play guitar".

Jared McCain posted not one but four separate versions of himself singing the song on TikTok.

The song shifts tempo multiple times, moving from a fast piano-driven beat to a slow, almost beatless vocal section and back, mirroring the emotional whiplash of starting college.

WLOY compared Carty's sound to artists like Gracie Abrams, Beach Bunny, and Ricky Montgomery.

Frequently Asked Questions

2 Days Into College

2023Viral song / TikTok soundsemi-active

Also known as: 2 Days into College · Two Days Into College

2 Days Into College is a 2023 viral TikTok song by Irish singer-songwriter Aimee Carty about college overwhelm, which exploded after Duke basketball player Jared McCain's cover and accumulated over 45 million streams.

"2 Days Into College" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Aimee Carty that went viral on TikTok in late 2023 and early 2024. The track, which captures the overwhelming feelings of starting university life, took off after Carty posted herself singing it on TikTok in December 2023 and exploded further when Duke basketball player Jared McCain posted his own rendition in January 2024. The song racked up over 45 million streams and hit both the UK and Irish singles charts by February 2024.

tiktok sound trends music memes viral song memes campus memes participatory video memes

Overview

"2 Days Into College" is a folk-pop song built around the opening line "I'm two days into college and I'm three lectures behind." Carty wrote it about her own experience starting at University College Dublin, weaving in relatable student anxieties like falling behind in lectures, dealing with a messy dorm room, and the pressure to have life figured out. The song shifts tempo throughout, starting with a quick piano-driven beat before slowing down into more reflective, vulnerable passages. Its charm lies in the mix of light humor (locking herself out of her dorm, dumping a guy because he doesn't play guitar) and genuine emotional weight about feeling unprepared for adulthood.

Aimee Carty, a singer-songwriter from Galway, Ireland, first shared the song on TikTok on December 6, 2023. Her video of herself singing the track picked up roughly 14.2 million plays and 2.3 million likes over the following two months. Two days later on December 8, she posted a second performance video that pulled in over 5 million plays and 594,200 likes. That same day, Carty released the full-length track on YouTube and streaming platforms, where the YouTube upload alone collected over 176,300 views in its first two months.

Carty drew directly from the emotions she felt when starting college at University College Dublin. At just 21 years old at the time of release, she channeled the uncertainty, stress, and low-key comedy of that transition into a song that hit a nerve with students everywhere.

Origin & Background

Platform
TikTok (original performance), YouTube / streaming platforms (full release)
Key People
Aimee Carty, Jared McCain
Date
2023

Aimee Carty, a singer-songwriter from Galway, Ireland, first shared the song on TikTok on December 6, 2023. Her video of herself singing the track picked up roughly 14.2 million plays and 2.3 million likes over the following two months. Two days later on December 8, she posted a second performance video that pulled in over 5 million plays and 594,200 likes. That same day, Carty released the full-length track on YouTube and streaming platforms, where the YouTube upload alone collected over 176,300 views in its first two months.

Carty drew directly from the emotions she felt when starting college at University College Dublin. At just 21 years old at the time of release, she channeled the uncertainty, stress, and low-key comedy of that transition into a song that hit a nerve with students everywhere.

How It Spread

The song's first wave of virality came almost immediately. Within a day of Carty's original post, other TikTok musicians began dueting the video, layering in their own instruments. On December 7, 2023, TikToker @mikepetroff added drums to the track, earning over 324,000 plays. On December 8, @mitchell_crawford2 posted a lip-dub duet that got 47,700 plays.

The second, much bigger wave came in late January 2024. On January 26, Duke University basketball player Jared McCain posted an acapella version of the song to his TikTok account (@jaredmccain24), singing it with clear enthusiasm. McCain's video hit 3.8 million plays and 537,300 likes within six days. The unexpected crossover of a college athlete singing an Irish folk-pop song caught fire. McCain eventually posted four different versions of his rendition.

Following McCain's video, the song blew up across TikTok. On January 30, TikToker @ndgojordy posted an edit that reached 7.1 million plays and 992,000 likes in just two days. The next day, @adrien_nunez posted a video of himself passionately singing along in his car, pulling 1.9 million plays and 299,800 likes in a single day. North West also uploaded a TikTok video of herself dancing to the song, giving it yet another boost.

By February 1, 2024, the TikTok sound had amassed over 4,900 posts, ranging from photo slideshows to comedic takes on college life. Users like @cjlenos11 posted humorous juxtapositions of their own experiences with the song, with one post about "tryna act dark and mysterious" while the track played in their AirPods pulling 3.1 million plays. The song crossed over to the charts, entering both the official UK and Irish singles charts in February 2024 after surpassing 45 million streams.

Media

How to Use This Meme

The TikTok sound is typically used in one of several ways:

- Singalong videos: Film yourself singing the song, either straight or with exaggerated emotion, as McCain popularized. - Photo slideshows: Set a series of photos from your own college or life transition experience to the track, often with a humorous or ironic twist. - Duets and instrument covers: Add your own musical layer (guitar, drums, harmonies) to Carty's original performance video. - Relatable reaction content: Use the song as background audio while showing the gap between how put-together you look and how chaotic things actually feel, playing on the lyric about everyone saying "you're doing so well" when you can't tell if that's true.

The common thread is content about feeling overwhelmed but trying to roll with it, making the sound a good fit for back-to-school season, new job jitters, or any major life transition.

Cultural Impact

The song's viral run turned Carty from an independent Irish musician into an internationally recognized voice for the college experience. WLOY Loyola Radio called it "the perfect anthem for students at any class level as they navigate the ups and downs of growing up". The Central Trend described it as "a love song for the students out there experiencing stress in any number of ways". Neon Music praised Carty as "a voice for a generation navigating the complexities of young adulthood".

The Jared McCain connection added an unexpected sports angle. A Division I basketball player going viral for singing an Irish indie track showed how TikTok can bridge wildly different audiences. Carty expressed her gratitude on TikTok for the boost McCain's videos gave her career. The song's success also highlighted TikTok's power to launch independent artists without traditional label backing. Carty released the track independently, and social media did the rest.

Fun Facts

Carty wrote the song based on her real experience at University College Dublin.

The fictional love interest in the song is named "Colin," and the narrator dumps him because "he doesn't play guitar".

Jared McCain posted not one but four separate versions of himself singing the song on TikTok.

The song shifts tempo multiple times, moving from a fast piano-driven beat to a slow, almost beatless vocal section and back, mirroring the emotional whiplash of starting college.

WLOY compared Carty's sound to artists like Gracie Abrams, Beach Bunny, and Ricky Montgomery.

Frequently Asked Questions