After having taken the Myers Briggs Test several times throughout my life, I found out that I have an MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator) of INTJ, which means I am Introverted (I), Intuitive (N), Thinking (T), and Judging (J). If we focus on the first letter, we can clearly see that I am an introvert at heart. I am often reserved and quiet in social settings, and while I do have my occasional moments of bursting into conversation, I always make sure to set aside time to re-energize on my own. With the school year settling back in, I wanted to share with you some thoughts and experiences regarding the past few weeks, from none other than me (and my introverted self).
The week before classes started, CU hosted various fall welcome events for both new and returning students. At first, I didn’t feel like going to any of them, because I thought I could be doing something more productive at home, such as applying for internships. However, when my friend invited me to hang out with her other friends at the CU Kickoff, I was compelled to come out of sheer curiosity.
When my friend introduced me to a couple of her friends at the kickoff, I made the effort to smile more often and engage more in their conversations by responding, laughing, and asking questions. After the kickoff, we explored Boulder for a bit. As we walked, I only spoke for a few moments, while I let everyone else carry the conversation, despite my earlier efforts of wanting to speak more.
Before the first day of school, I remember mentally rehearsing to myself the things I would say to people, such as my introduction (name, major, year, etc.) and the fun things I did over the summer. I knew that if I thought about these things beforehand, I would eliminate the nervousness of having to think on the spot.
Then came the first few days of classes. It felt a bit strange going back to in-person classes after almost a year and a half of being online. I was able to see some people that I met before quarantine happened, and I also had a chance to see some people, whom I’ve only met through Zoom, in person for the first time.
Interacting with all these people wasn’t as bad as I thought, but I knew that if I wanted to meet new people and keep the conversation going, I had to step a little more out of my comfort zone.
Before I knew it, the involvement fair came around. I recently became a leader for Asian American InterVarsity, so I had the responsibility of managing a table with two other people.
Just like I did for my in-person classes, I also rehearsed the things I would say to interested students at the involvement fair. I wrote a mental script that mentioned the things that would catch their attention, and I made sure to add emotional appeal whenever appropriate. It was certainly difficult to reach out to every student who passed by our table, but there were at least some who seemed genuinely interested and signed up on our email list.
Reflecting on these past few weeks, I realized that being an introvert in a public setting is not a bad thing at all. While there are still some things I could improve on, it’s great to be able to think things through beforehand and have a composed mindset. Another thing I learned about being an introvert is that I’m very observant; by observing the people around me and how they act, I’m usually able to conform myself to the situation and fit right in.
If you’re an introvert like me, just remember that there are so many great things to embrace about yourself. No matter where you are, your personality is valued just as much as anyone else’s. If you feel like you’ve missed your chance to talk to someone in the first few weeks of school, know that there are so many more great opportunities ahead of you. I wish you the best of luck this school year!