For a variety of reasons, I prefer to leave high school in the past. Amongst the fond memories of sports teams and formal dances, I am also reminded of the insecurities that had a tendency to rule my thoughts during those four years. As much as I want to believe that what my classmates thought about me didn’t dictate some of my actions, I know this is a lie. With a limited number of people and activities, the ability to quickly place judgements on others was much more accessible.

As I ventured to try some of the “nerdier” activities in school like academic teams and book club, I felt a little bit uneasy. Classic high school stereotypes never failed to remind me that I might be perceived as “uncool.” Contrastingly, within weeks of beginning my college career, that feeling of uneasiness wasn’t even on my radar. The best part about college is not living on your own, excessive binge-drinking, or lack of curfew, but the unbarred social, political, and academic freedom to be whoever the hell you want.

They say college is the time to reinvent yourself. Well, there is a reason that phrase became a cliche, because it couldn’t be more true. I grew up in a small town, moving through each grade level with more or less the same crew of peers. I am truly grateful for the time I spent with this group of people, for our adolescent years allowed us to form strong bonds. However, everyone I knew was bound to have a preconceived notion of me going into high school. My seventh grade basketball stats (or lack thereof) and my excessive use of blue eye shadow was history not easily erased. The dramatic increase in population size and the melting pot of interests and backgrounds that college provides sets the stage for you to make a name for yourself in any way you see fit.

Looking back on the time when joining student council or being a dedicated environmental activist group member would have dubbed me a loser, I realize that college has transformed this perspective. People no longer care so much about what I’m doing or why I’m doing it. They simply admire the fact that I am passionate about something. There is this mutual respect of interests in the air. I believe there is an overarching understanding that we all decided to enroll in post-secondary education in the hopes of learning more than what is in our text books. College becomes much more about the self rather than the crowd. I made the realization that expressing an interest in more than just partying or capturing the perfecting selfie lighting proves to myself and others that I have substance. In addition, clubs and organizations are just another way to have a lot of fun. The definition of "cool kid" in college ditches its conventional high school meaning and becomes extremely versatile. So, as we head into spring semester, attend some call-outs and find a unique way to discover something really cool about yourself.