1. I have social anxieties where I think people don’t like me. Advice? I think a lot of people struggle with that feeling. But, something I learned over time is that we are our own biggest critics. If we do something embarrassing, it can stay in our heads for weeks when other people stop thinking about it right after! Every time that I’ve thought someone didn’t like me, I later realized I had been overreacting. I’m not saying that all social anxiety is a matter of overreacting, so if your social anxiety is constantly occurring and interfering with the way you live your life, you may have social anxiety disorder. That is nothing to be afraid or ashamed of! Social anxiety disorder can be treated with therapy, medications, and the help of specialists. Overall, just try to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself! Don’t beat yourself up over anything you can’t go back and change.
2. Should a guy always be expected to pick up the tab on the 1st date? Personally, I think he should! I know it’s 2020, and people will argue that a guy picking up the tab will decrease a woman’s sense of equality in a relationship. However, I see it as him showing his desire to date and get to know you. If a real man is attempting to pursue you, he will actually enjoy doing things for you in this respect – especially if y’all are just getting to know each other. But make sure whenever you go on a date you are prepared to pay for yourself! Never be dependent when you go on your date, but just make a mental note if he is not willing to pay for you. It might not be a deal breaker at first, but it can show how serious he is about dating you.
3. How do you bounce back from a break up? The best way to bounce back after a break up is to spend time with and focus on yourself! This works for both types of break-ups– if you were the one dumped or if you were the one that had to do the dumping. After break-ups, regardless of the length or nature of the relationship, we often find ourselves feeling lonely. The best way to counteract that is to focus on being by yourself until you find that you’re not lonely when you’re alone. Go on dates with yourself! Take self-care more seriously! Take up a new hobby! After that, feel free to jump back into the dating game. Just make sure that you are meeting new people that will interest you and that you’re not just dating for company.
4. How many women worldwide don’t have any access to sanitary products? Fortunately for many of us at Georgia Tech, it’s pretty difficult to imagine how life would be without sanitary products but there are millions of women around the world who don’t have access to these everyday necessities. There are about 12 million women in this country who don’t have access to sanitary products because of their economic background and lack of resources. Worldwide, a stigma towards women having a menstrual cycle persists, particularly in developing countries or places where religion dictates a large part of women and their lives. Luckily, on campus and even outside it, there are plenty of organizations that take sanitary products to the less fortunate and even get them shipped overseas for this reason.
5. How to deal with a lack of people of color in your major/school at Tech? This problem has personally plagued me all the years I’ve been in school. It’s always discouraging to not see yourself represented in the student body.The way I dealt with it was attending clubs and organizations full of people that look like me. On campus, there are many cultural organizations that can cater to your specific background. After joining these clubs, I noticed that there are people in my major that come from similar backgrounds and look like me. Ultimately, it is hard to deal with a lack of people of color in your major, but that is a problem we are bound to face in attending a PWI. I joined an organization with the main goal of increasing Georgia Tech’s black population (because that is an underrepresented community that I identify with), and I encourage you to do something similar if you want to help combat this problem of lack of diversity.
6. How does one become a bad bitch? First, I know that everyone has their down moments and things they don’t like about themselves but never compare yourself to anyone else! Flaws are what make us unique and different from the rest. Once you accept these flaws, you are on the way to becoming a bad bitch. A bad bitch maintains her appearance, pops out some days but can also have chill days. She doesn’t dress to impress everyone else, but to impress herself. My definition of a bad bitch is not just about appearance but also what you bring to the table. You are focused and not letting anyone steer you off your path. A bad bitch is driven whether it comes to work or school, she’s going to get it done by any means necessary. You are focused on being the best you can be and don’t give a damn about what anyone else has to say about it. Most importantly, just be yourself and everyone will love you for you. But also remember to lay your edges and put your hoop earrings in before you leave for class.
7. How to balance workload with social life at Tech My Godmother graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. She was very involved with both the college community and the community in our neighborhood of College Park, Atlanta. She was also incredibly active in campus greek life and graduated with a 3.7 GPA. Even as an accomplished individual, she said that from day one on campus, it was extremely difficult to adjust to the workload at Tech- even as the valedictorian of her senior class. The workload was nowhere in comparison to the workload at Georgia Tech, so she had to make some adjustments, and make them quickly. She started hanging out with her friends less, and solely focusing on the organizations she had joined. Whatever was outside of that, she tried to keep at a minimum. Creating more time to study and reaching out for help was also important, in order to improve her grades and take away the stress of having to cram and pile on information that wouldn’t be retained. Her friends were extremely supportive of her and her change encouraged them to stay focused and on track. I feel like that support is significant because, whether they are your friends or family, it is important to have a support system that encourages you to be the best you can be. If your friends don’t understand that you don’t have to go to every single party or outing, then maybe they aren’t really your friends.
8. Ideas for dealing with worrying about judgement w/in a small campus community First, dealing with judgement within a small community is extremely hard. Feeling analyzed makes it scary to attend events and socialize with people, because all you’ll worry about is what others might be saying about you. These following considerations are important to battle those fears, because oftentimes people are more worried about themselves than they are about you. Everyone is at different stages in their life, constantly growing and evolving everyday. I am not the same person I was last March because of the experiences I have had within the past year. The person or people judging you may be completely different next year or even next month. We never know what others are going through, which is why it’s important to not judge them back. This only makes the situation worse. Furthermore, it’s important to remember that no one has the right to judge you for anything you say or do. Yes, people have the right to their own opinion but you do as well. Don’t allow someone’s perception of you impact how you live your life. At the end of the day, you have to be comfortable in your own skin and hope that they will one day be comfortable in theirs.