Being a college student tends to involve staying up late, waking up early and eating whatever horrible food is offered to you. After a late night of studying it may seem appealing to wake up 15 minutes before class, throw on some sweats, and head out but I wanted to know if this could be having a negative impact on me and my classes.
Waking up just before class starts may leave you even more tired in class and decrease your performance throughout the day. I decided to spend a week of classes waking up an hour early and getting dressed up.
The first day showed great results. I was able to wake up completely, have a healthy breakfast and not rush to class. Normally I would grab a pop tart and run out the door, but it is true what they say about breakfast being the most important meal of the day. Overall I just had a more positive outlook on the day because I took the time to look good which in turn made me feel good.
I always wanted to see if dressing up to class increased performance while actually in class. Would we feel less drowsy? Would we participate more? Would we be more confident? I definitely feel that this had an effect on me. When you feel good you have more confidence and I think that helped me feel more comfortable raising my hand in class and getting involved in discussion.
People tend to take you more seriously when you are dressed for the part. Going to classes is not technically the same as going to work every day but it is good practice. Also, you never know when an opportunity will present itself and therefore you should always be ready to meet someone who could help you.
As the days went on the impact of the experiment began to plateau. This is only because dressing for class doesn’t keep life from happening. There are always times where you are going to wake up late or just feel tired, but still taking the time to look presentable is a positive thing you can hold on to even through a less than great day.
Not only do you feel accomplished when you look great, other people notice as well. Getting compliments on outfits and being noticed for looking pretty can brighten up your day more than you could imagine.
What are the main things I learned from this experiment? Don’t sell yourself short. By doing this simple life style change I wore clothes that had just been sitting in my closet. I created new outfits with clothes I already had. I looked good and felt good, which in turn made me want to be healthier.
It was also great to see how you do not necessarily need a complete make over to feel good about yourself. I think something really important to keep in mind is that you have to feel comfortable in what you are wearing in order to be confident in yourself. It’s always great to try new things, but if you are not comfortable in a belly shirt (which I am definitely not) then you should try something else on.
Every girl is fabulous in her own way and finding your own sense of style is a great way to show that to the world. Moral of the story: Dress up to class regularly and feel great about yourself!