By Crystal Frederick
It can be very easy to get lost in a crowd. This
phenomenon is only exacerbated in the realm of college. The fact is,
as an incoming freshman you will be amongst hundreds or even thousands of new students.
You went from being the big fish in a little pond to a pond with lots of big fishes.
After all you were a rock star in high school, the editor of the school newspaper,
head cheerleader and track phenom. Now you are probably going to be in a
class of people that were all editors of their high school newspaper,
cheerleaders and track stars; it is the reason why you are all in college!
But don’t freak out; you are still awesome and have a lot to offer. You just need to
recalibrate your thinking a bit.
Here are a few things to keep in mind and do to get your shine back:
Own your brand – You are the only
‘you’ on campus. No one else grew up in Cincinnati, spent a summer in
Egypt, plays the saxophone and knows the difference between a covalent bond and
an ionic bond. There are tons of kids out there with your 3.8 GPA but no
one with your collective experiences and interests. This is what sets you
apart from the pack.
Find your niche – This is sort of a
carryover from the previous point. There will be countless students
interested in being student body president but fewer will be interested in
being president of the horticulture club. Look at your interests and see
where you can find a place to stand out that aligns with the things you care
about. This goes for class selection as well; go with things you have an
interest in. This will allow you to be more engaged and you will ultimately do
better in them.
·
Have some fun/Meet people – We make
this point a lot around here. If
you really want to shine, a fundamental part of that equation is being
happy. No one wants to be around a Debbie Downer, and some of the people
you meet will be lifelong friends or future business partners. Go to a football
game or a party and meet new people, you never know what opportunities can
arise from your new friends/acquaintances.
Finally, remember, it’s not just
you. Everyone feels this way at some point, like they are being outdone
by everyone else. It is totally normal but that does not mean you should
give into it. You have come this far so you must have done some pretty
amazing stuff already. The bottom line is ‘do you’. If you manage
that there’s no way you won’t be a stand out.
No comments:
Post a Comment