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Cherry blossom trees at the University of Washington
Cherry blossom trees at the University of Washington
© Courtesy of The U District Partnership
Washington | Life

Ins & Outs for Winter Quarter @ UW

Maggie O'Brien Student Contributor, University of Washington - Seattle
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Washington chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

In:

  • Wearing clashing colors. Pink and green. Orange, blue, and grey. 
  • “The Daily” newspaper. Let’s support student writers! 
  • Orange juice. Nothing quite like a cold glass of OJ. Or a mimosa, your choice.
  • Pinterest. Top tier app.
  • “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” Now, read this once with optimism and once with exasperation — an indication of stagnation. If you want your life to look different by the end of the year, something has to change. Your task is to figure out what.
  • Early bedtimes. In my almost twenty-two years of living, I have learned that the source of my issues is most often a) hunger or b) lack of sleep. Choosing to romanticize my bedtime routine has encouraged me to actually want to go to bed, which has done wonders for my skin, mental health, and overall well-being. 
  • Taking up space. An example of this would be in a male-dominated space, like the gym. If a man can take seven dumbbells, so can you! 
  • And being unapologetically loud. We are told to confine ourselves to this fictitious box of how to be, and people become upset when others exist outside the box. As clichĂ© as it might sound, life becomes so much easier when you embrace being loud and proud. 
  • The block button. It’s so easy, yet so hard for some. And, it can give a sense of relief like no other to know that you will never see that person in your feed again. If you are not ready to hit “block”, might I suggest muting them?
  • Home cafes and dinner parties. The idea of a handful of the girls getting together, wearing cute outfits, and eating off of a themed menu is the essence of life. 
  • Seeing a psychic. Not a therapist or psychiatrist. A psychic. Someone who can read the color of my aura or tell me if I am astrologically compatible with my crush.  
  • Word of the month. Mine is currently “archetype.” Next month, the world will be “amuse bouche.”
  • Birthday celebrations all year long. I am the archetype (gotcha!) for a March Aries woman, and I love telling every restaurant in Seattle that it’s my birthday for the bit. 
  • Supporting non-football Husky sports. I went to the Women’s Basketball game against USC last weekend. Huge fan of being a fan.

Out:

  • Staying neutral. Being heavily opinionated has, and will always be, in. My biggest pet peeve is people who are so agreeable that their morals shift depending on who they’re talking to. They say a friend to all is a friend to none, and that is just so true.
  • Passiveness. Similar to above. 
  • Explaining yourself. If I have to justify the intimate details of my life choices to another person, that’s not a conversation I want to be a part of.
  • Whatever this cold is that every UW student has right now. Cough, cough, literally. 
  • Spring break plans. Social media has made spring break a competition for three fictitious awards: best-photographed trip, most niche location, and most insane group collab. Fun college vacations have become a competition with other people on the internet, even though we all know how phony those pictures can be. 
  • LinkedIn. Typically, this is an In for me. Something about this website recently has been giving the same energy as a forced networking event — mildly insufferable and filled with people humble-bragging in third person.
  • Centering your life around men. This will forever and always be on my Outs list, but I truly cannot be friends with those who only care about whether there will be boys at the function. I understand that women tend to view ourselves through the male lens, as internalized misogyny is so far ingrained in our nervous system that it takes introspective work to unlearn it. However, those who have not done this work to analyze their own thoughts are infrequently in my circle.
  • Influencer merch. In a world that is so wasteful, we truly do not need more $49 hooded sweatshirts that have your favorite influencer’s slogan on it. 
  • Seattle freeze. After four years at the University of Washington, I can proudly profess that the Seattle freeze is not real if you don’t make it real. This winter quarter has been my most exhilarating and silly quarter yet, and all it takes is a weekly trivia night, one new hobby, and a go-to coffee shop. 
  • Corporate outfits in the club. A blazer at 2AM is insanity — save that for Wall Street.
  • Oversharing. I am a certified talker (hence why I write for HerCampus!), and I love to tell others what I’m up to. But in early 2024, I promised myself to share less with those who haven’t earned that access—because a) some people judge, b) others turn everything into a silent competition, and c) a little mystery is undeniably powerful.
Maggie O'Brien

Washington '25

Maggie is a senior at the University of Washington from San Francisco, California. She is majoring in Public Health - Global Health, and doubling minoring in Data Science and Nutrition. Maggie is a tour guide for UW and the social media coordinator for the Food Pantry. She is super excited to continue on this project as a writer for Her Campus this year, and be able to share her writing pieces with other like-minded women!