At a school like Pitt, it can be very difficult to stand out. With over 26,000 students, how do YOU carve a unique place for yourself and make your way in the world as an individual? I walked into a similar giant lecture hall housing my Biology 1 class as a freshman feeling absolutely invisible. Shy and not knowing anyone, I was just another ant processing in trying to find an empty seat that had not been saved for gaggles of friends.
Three years later, I walk into my physics class, head held high, still knowing no one. Why did I not feel a wave of insecurity and panic of where to sit? As a senior here, I have carved my niche and feel comfortable within my own skin. It is an elusive topic, but how do you make yourself stand out in a crowd? One to be reckoned with, so to say?
1. Wake up everyday and treat yourself like a queen (king for the men out there). People innately follow your lead. If you put yourself down, don't value your own thoughts, or silence them for fear of ridicule, others will follow suit. Conversely, a confident and competent image will project outward reserving a sense of respect and value from peers.
2. Find one professor that you work well with and build a relationship. You do not have to go to office hours for every class and try to forge a relationship with every teacher. One sustained relationship can provide you with guidance, honest feedback, and help in more facets than the class at hand.
3. Do something for you, one thing that has little relation to your projected career path. We often get boxed into a certain dogma of thinking. This will open up your mind, fuse principles from multiple facets of education, and ultimately add a unique dimension to your skill set. For example, I chose to work with the oral communication department mentoring peers with public speaking anxiety. I do believe it was my best choice in college.
4. Somehow link this unique activity to your professional goals. For example, most physicians are extensively trained in the hard sciences. How many can communicate effectively and compassionately with patients to put them at ease and ultimately make a better diagnosis? This is how I will set myself apart in the field.
5. Dress well, test well. What is your mindset when you throw on a pair of sweatpants? Probably the same as mine: "I just need to get through fifty minutes of class then I can get back in bed." Is that any mindset to learn? To properly process and encode information, we must be in a mental state ready to soak in the information like a sponge. Sweatpants do not convey that attitude. Not to mention the first impression it can give others. Instead, take pride in how you present yourself.
6. A few close friendships can make this daunting period in our lives much easier to tackle. Find a few people that you trust and love, and open up. This can be a scary time, but you needn't go it alone. To achieve tips 1-5, we all need a support system. Family and friends are absolutely essential, rely on them. Trust me, if they are the friends they say they are, they won't mind. They might just surprise you with wisdom they have to share.
Are you ready to take on the world? Well maybe we'll start small. Are you ready to take on the next week of classes and make a place for unique, intelligent you?? GOOD! For the week ahead, I will sign off with a song that always pumps me up and gives me the confidence to take on the world. :)
