Admit it, your high school career was spent obsessing over that dreamy boy band or that epic book/movie series that you could just never get enough of. Nights that you should have been studying were consumed with reblogging Tumblr posts or retweeting tweets about your desired topic of choice. Anytime something was happening within your designated fandom, you were not just the first to know, but of course you jumped right into the mess to either enjoy the commentary or share some words of wisdom yourself.
You’re not alone, friends, for I, too, have experienced this exciting and emotional side of life and am happy to say that my feelings have not dissipated in the slightest since stepping foot onto Notre Dame’s campus. That being said, before making the transition to college, I understood that I was leaving all of my fangirl friends from home behind and wouldn’t be able to start off the school year bombarding every new person I met with my undying love of various musical artists. I had to take things slow and build up to that level with specific individuals. It wasn’t easy to contain my obsession, especially seeing that my all time favorite band, One Direction, was on tour, released an album, and went on hiatus all within my first semester here. Be that as it may, by saving my tears for my pillow and keeping the volume down low, I think I have mastered the art of being a fangirl in college. Below, I will list my tips and tricks so you too can learn this magnificent skill!
1. Keep your obsession on the DL.
You don’t want to scare your roommate away by hanging all of your posters, using your bedspread dedicated to your love, or bringing in that life size cardboard cutout of that special someone. Though your bedroom at home gave you ~ all the feels ~ and was perfect in every way, it’s not fair for you to completely deck out your room in this manner because your roommate may not feel the same way about it. Limit yourself to a poster or two, possibly a desk calendar, and wait until after Christmas break to bring in anything else. This way, you can pick up your roommate’s vibes on your favorite subject and ask in person if they would mind you bringing in just one more bit of your collection. Another benefit to limiting yourself in this way is that you can find a personal style and play around with decorations that you may never have known that you just simply love!
2. Stay in contact with your fellow fangirls at home.
In high school, my friends and I were basically known as the overly temperamental students who had an unhealthy addiction to musicians. We allowed ourselves to wholeheartedly embrace this classification from our peers because through it, our group only grew stronger. These tight bonds don’t have to disappear when you move away. Keeping in close contact with these people that you share some of your fondest fangirling memories will help keep you sane as you’re trying to control yourself in your new environment, plus it will ensure you will have a great group of friends long into adulthood.
3. Find your people.
Whatever your fixation is, Notre Dame is big enough and diverse enough that someone else will share your love for it. When you’re getting to know new people, test the waters a bit. If someone asks you a question related to your obsession, keep calm and proceed with caution. In a calm voice, answer that you love your specific addiction and if they show interest beyond the casual “Oh, that’s cool,” make a connection! Your high school fangirl friends were/are great and no one will ever replace them, but it never hurts to add more fans into the mix!
4. Don’t let your infatuation stop you from living your life.
College is full of new experiences, new people, and new memories to be made; go make them! This is your time to shine and to be the best you that you can possibly be. Don’t sit in your room on Tumblr for hours everyday just in case you miss something earth-shattering in the fandom. If you do, you’re only holding yourself back from all that is available to you here at Notre Dame. Go to class (you’re paying enough for it), join a club, make friends and go on crazy adventures with them! Your fandom will still be there when you get back from living your life, I promise.
5. Be yourself.
It’s easy to try to be someone you’re not, especially in college where no one knows your history and you have a blank slate to rewrite your story however you want it. That being said, you shouldn’t compromise your likes and dislikes in order to make friends. Suppressing your feelings for something won’t make them go away, and lying to impress others won’t do anything but hurt you. Stay true to who you are and as you go throughout college, learn how to balance your obsessions within your day to day life. Finally, remember that you should never be ashamed of being a fangirl; it’s completely normal to get ~ the feels ~ from time to time.
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