Ideologies. I’m in three separate classes that all happen to have their own definition of the word. The very nature of the word is confusing, as it attempts to classify a way of thinking… through a way of thinking. It is yet another way in which we grossly overcomplicate the simplest of concepts.

Overcomplication actually happens to be one of the most prevalent ideologies on a college campus. We stress about which dorm we will be assigned, fret over the lack of air conditioning (I’m looking at you, West), feel as if we have to “sound smart” within class to impress our professors, and, perhaps worst of all, we oftentimes find ourselves altering who we are so as to better make friends.

To put it simply, we try too hard. We have no control over some things, and shouldn’t not waste energy on worrying about them (trust me, there is plenty else to stress over), but we can do better in the areas in which we do have power over.

In class, we must focus on putting less effort into sounding like we know what we are talking about, and focus more on acting like ourselves. The truth is that we are smart- even though it may not feel that way sometimes. Being wrong can be scary, but making mistakes while doing so is part of the learning process. Many of us come from schools that placed so much weight on the final score (I know I did), and so often we find ourselves so afraid of failure that we do not even try. We don’t raise our hand even though we studied for hours, we don’t take that class because the professor is strict, and we don’t choose that major because the requirements are too high. If there is one thing we must learn, it is to be brave enough to take the chance- especially if we are wrong.

We must be braver outside of the classrooms as well. Keep it simple- we don’t have to fake parts of who we are in the hopes of making certain friends, and we don’t have to hide the parts of ourselves that we feel as if we may be judged for. As cheesy as it sounds, this is our time to shine- to be as weird and wonderful as we so desire. So go out for the quidditch club, go to that Planned Parenthood rally, do yoga on the HUB lawn! I went out and joined a beekeeping club! There are so many opportunities that enable us to explore ourselves, and to find friends who are doing the same. We can’t allow “commonsense” decisions to force us into a box. There is simply no need to join a frat simply because everybody is doing it, or to buy season tickets because everyone else did.

“Commonsense” decisions can often lead to that dreaded word we thought we had escaped after high school- stereotypes. Stereotypes aren’t positive for anyone- they stifle the very individuality that college is supposed to nurture. If we can’t escape them in college, how will we ever escape them in the world outside of school?

The truth is that it’s up to us to not let them define us. We must continue to live in spite of those classifications, and remain true to ourselves despite the societal consequences. So make like High School Musical, and break the status quo!