How much do you care what others think?

angelfish13
Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:43:04 +0000

How much do you care about what others think of you? I have spent a lot of time this semester trying to evaluate what I want out of my college life, and am curious how other college students rate the importance of “acceptance from peers”.

You know in middle school how many go through that “I need to be in the popular group” feeling? I went through that phase and so did all of my friends. Sure, I was obsessive and naive back then. Well in college, I would still argue that it is still an important value of mine to be well-liked. I want to spend my college years making incredible friendships and I enjoy being that girl that is always smiling and nice to everyone. It is important to have social skills to get you interviews for those big jobs, into selective organizations on campus, and to have a solid network. I always try to look my best. I enjoy wearing trendy clothes, shoes, and the like. I enjoy getting invitations to birthday outings and college parties.

Maybe I just described someone to you who is superficial, shallow, and needs to stop caring. But here is my argument:

One of my closest friends is the opposite, and thinks I care way too much. He spends his days either in class or in his room playing video games. He hates parties, socializing, and doesn’t care if he is socially awkward and that he comes off rude when other people try to talk him, because who cares about their opinions anyway. I think that everyone should care to a certain point. Do you want to spend your college years as a hermit crab in your room 24/7 playing video games because you don’t many friends because you come off as stand-offish and rude? Build a wall between yourself and the world because you have this “f*** everyone else” mentality? Or do you want to come out of college with incredible memories thinking, these were the best years of my life?