Be Yourself

College is a fantastic time to explore new fields of study and new extracurricular activities. It’s a time when you can become a better, braver version of yourself. However, while you are trying so many new things and meeting so many new people, it’s easy to get wrapped up in your new life and fall into a stream of students that are doing and saying things that you may not agree with. Trying new things is great until you begin to compromise your own values in the name of exploration.

Make sure that while you are trying new things you are only doing them because you want to, not because someone else expects you to be a certain way. For example, if you choose a certain major because you are passionate about it and would like to enter the field, do not switch majors simply because one of your friends (or even professors!) tells you to. Be sure that you are making decisions for yourself.

Similarly, if you are against the use of drugs or alcohol, do not feel that you need to explore these things simply because it is what everyone else is doing. You are an adult now (officially…yikes!) and you are more than capable of making your own  decisions. If you want to study on Friday night instead of going to that frat party, feel free to. If you’d rather hang out in the library than the bar, that’s your choice as well. Don’t let the actions of others dictate your lifestyle.

Whether it’s the way you dress, your hair color, your religion, your major, or your study habits, don’t let anyone else tell you how to live your life. After all, it’s yours and yours alone. We all have one life to live so we might as well make it one we love.