College has taught me more about myself than anything else. Amidst the swamp of papers and citations and presentations, there’s a lot to learn about yourself. It’s in the way you might handle a roommate conflict or a bad grade. It’s in the way you engage and participate in extracurriculars or in the way you don’t. College is a place to learn about the world and earn a diploma. However, it’s also a place where you find your voice, something I want to expand on further in this article. Here is my guide to navigating the path to self-confidence in college.
- Empathizing with your inner voice
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If you’re like me, college was the first time in my life that I felt completely independent.With that comes a lot of time for ruminating, reflecting, and so on. You may spend a lot of time alone in college, so your inner voice needs to be your friend. Work on understanding your inner voice in order to become more self-aware.
- Embracing your authentic self
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I know this sounds a little cheesy and cliche but it’s crucial. College is the runway to the rest of your life, so make sure you like yourself before taking off. Many times, I have compared college to New York City because nobody cares what you’re doing in either place. College is a time to embrace who you are, and if you don’t know who that is yet, then give it time.
- Encouraging communication
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This semester, I have had a terrible roommate conflict unfortunately. However, it has taught me invaluable communication skills. My most important piece of advice is to communicate. It might be so hard and so uncomfortable, but it gets easier every time. If you are experiencing an issue with your roommate, address it right away. Advocate for yourself. The world is only going to get crueler, so learn how to stand up for yourself now.
- Learning from setbacks
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College feels like a long series of making mistakes. There is so much beauty in it though. One of my favorite artists, Nicholas Megalis, has a painting that reads “the biggest mistake is never making any.” Allow yourself to mess up and make a fool of yourself. Build some social callouses. If you lose a friend or an opportunity, then accept that it wasn’t meant for you.
- Cultivating self-compassion
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Finding your inner confidence doesn’t have to be this intense, self-deprecating process. In fact, I’ve found that most of my confidence blooms when I’m kind to myself. Listen to what you have to say. Embrace your quirks even if others don’t get them.
Come to college and learn about biology, or construction, or drama, but also learn about yourself. Make mistakes, lose friends, make new ones, speak loud, and shine bright. This is just the beginning of the rest of our lives, so make it good.