My friends and family all know that I’m a pretty straightforward person. I like having my emotions out in the open whether I mean to or not and while that can be problematic at times, I find that most people appreciate the honesty. As a college student who deals with living with and working with people from various backgrounds, being straightforward can definitely have its advantages. Here’s five ways being a straightforward girl in college pays off.
1. You initiate relationships
Coming to a college with over 38,000 people was a huge step up from the 250 people in my graduating class. Not everyone knows everyone anymore and it’s easy to lose people you actually like. I made it a habit of asking for people’s numbers right away; some of my friends saw this as too forward, but I’m still friends with several people who I asked for their number. While some of my other friends wait around for a boy to text them back or ask them out, I just go for it. I admit that my current boyfriend asked me for my number, but I was the one who asked him out (twice!) He told me that I’m probably the main reason we’re together now.
2. You’re above passive aggressive roommate drama
Roommates in college can be a hit or miss, especially if you chose to live with a random roommate. But effective communication, or in my case, straightforward communication, can make all the difference. For example, me and my sophomore year roommate’s study habits were completely incompatible. She liked studying late at night while I liked waking up early to study in the morning, and I would get so angry when she would leave a bright light on by her desk while I tried to sleep. No, I didn’t leave passive aggressive notes around the room or tell her that I loved how her desk lamp was basically a second sun. Instead, I simply asked her to study downstairs past 11 p.m. and she complied. I know several people who let their roommates behave horribly and upset them all year long without so much as mentioning anything to them. Direct girls don’t have this problem because we know that our happiness is priority and being uncomfortable or making your roommate uncomfortable for five minutes to talk about a pressing issue is not going to kill either of you.
3. Group projects are a breeze
Straightforward girls get things done in group projects and ensure that everyone is completing their tasks timely. Direct girls can be anything from the leaders who spearhead the group project and tell everyone what they need to do, to the organizers who plan meetings and create a timeline for all the tasks that need to be completed before the due date. Straightforward girls will make certain that everyone in the group is doing their part and call them out if they’re not. I once had two girls in a group project show up to a meeting without completing their part of the group essay we were assigned. I told them that I was upset that they didn’t have their halves of the essay finished and that they needed to finish it on time before the next meeting because they were slowing down the group’s progress. I was simple, to the point and prevented myself lot of anger in the future.
4. Professors actually appreciate your honesty
During the summer, it’s easy to forget how to balance everything you have to do in college such as studying, doing homework, participating in club activities, holding a job and so on. I’m definitely guilty of this, but surprisingly, many professors understand and care that your time is divided between so many different things. During the second or third week of school I got so caught up in my other responsibilities that I waited too long to start on a paper, to the point where I had one paragraph and it was due the next day. When the professor asked me about my paper I was honest with her and told her I was swamped with assignments that week and didn’t do well at balancing it all. She respected me for being honest with her and asked me to get the assignment to her the next week.
5. You make the weekend plans for your squad
Being a straightforward girl has its advantages because sometimes you get to be the final decision maker for your friend group. I think everyone has experienced a conversation like this with their friends:
Friend 1: “What do you want to do?”
Friend 2: “I don’t know, what do you want to do?”
If your friends are teetering on which movie to see or where to eat beforehand, you usually just step in and decide for them. Everyone usually trusts you to plan a fun weekend mostly because they know they can’t (or won’t) do it themselves. Plus, if you’re the one making the weekend plans, it means you’re guaranteed to have a good time.
While being straightforward can come with its uncomfortable moments, all straightforward girls know that being upfront and honest is the best way to take on life.