When I started my freshman year of college last year, I was excited for all of the new things I would learn about myself like people said college was for. For me, a major epiphany occurred last year in the dining hall while I was eating lunch with one of my friends. I don’t remember exactly was I was doing, but my actions prompted one of my good friends to laugh and say the magic words that would change how I looked at myself from that point on: “you are soooo extra.”

At the time, I had not known what that meant. She explained to me that being extra means that a person is over the top or dramatic or excessive in any way. I was so excited because I finally had a word for my behavior, and if someone created a whole new term for it that meant that there were other extra girls and boys out there just like me. In honor of my extra brothers and sisters, I would like to dedicate this article about what it truly means to be extra. Because what’s more extra than writing about being extra?

Welcome to Bootcamp kids. I am going to sprinkle you with my tips on thriving as an extra member of society. First of all, it is important to remember that being the extra friend really means that you are fabulous one. Being the fabulous friend means that you always need to slay, honey.

This might seem overwhelming, but you just need to remember to do what you were already planning on doing, plus a little more. For example, your friend asks you to have a sleepover. You might think awesome I’ll pack my pajamas and a movie.

This is when the extra voice in your head says “No. pack a satin pajama set, your matching pink robe and slippers, every Nicholas Sparks movie, gourmet popcorn with movie theater candy, sparkling water, an air mattress with its own comforter, and face masks. You do not simply go to a sleepover, you become the sleepover. The goal is to reach a Sharpay Evans pool scene level of extraness.

Being extra also means that you have to have the perfect outfit for every occasion. Going for a walk in the park? Grab your floral sundress, floppy hat, and wedges. Baseball game? Not problem. You have your baseball T-shirt, white pleated skirt, and converse. Plus a cute baseball cap of course.

In order to plan the most extra outfits, you must pay attention to the tiniest details. Those are the things that will inevitably make you stand out. Whether it’s matching your eyeshadow to your shoes, or having a star-shaped purse when visiting the planetarium, the little things will put you over the top.

Another thing to keep in mind is that as an extra person you have the power to create events out of thin air. This is your ultimate superpower really. I used to be upset over styling really cute outfits, but not having any place to wear them.

Then, it hit me: I could plan activities around my outfits just as easy as I could plan my outfits around activities. That notion inspired many trips to Ivanna Cone and the Old Market last summer.

Extra people are always doing something so be sure to fill your week up with fun outings and activities. In order to keep track of your busy schedule, I recommend having a very big planner with a cute saying on the front like “This Fashionista Runs on Starbucks.”

I could probably write an entire novel on what it means to be an extra person, but all of the extra people would be too busy being fabulous to read it. This should be enough to get you started.

This post was meant mostly to just be funny, but there is some truth to it in that I have been deemed extra. I’ve decided to embrace it because being extra sometimes is pretty fun. Finally, I just want all of the over the top people out there to know that I love them a little extra.