This is to all the slay queens and the book nerds, the trendy hipsters and the copycat posers, the lone wolf and the arty thespians, holy rollers, thug gangsters, queen bees and wannabees. This is a PSA!!

Life in university is a time to be alive. Free from the eagle eye of parents and tattle-telling siblings. This is the time to form friendships and engage in all dreamed of and wished for activities. In order to fully participate in university life, one wants friends to make the ‘soup’ all the sweeter. Lectures, religious meetings, parties, hall weeks, intellectual conversations; all these are enjoyed when in a group or even alone.

To be in a group, one must conform to group dynamics. As an outsider, one conforms to certain expectations of society. How can a fashionista wear socks and sandals? Or a religious activist throws up ‘fuck u’ signs. Nope, not the way to do things at all. If u wanna be with us, u gotta behave like us. If u gonna be alone, you can’t be multiple types of characters because then you’re a fake. These “social rules’ sometimes cause us to cower in fear, scared to reveal our true selves because we want to belong or at least a little understood.

What you should know though is that school serves as a shelter. When finished, you are pushed out raw and bleeding. Friends and group mates end up nameless and contactless. The most important and only certain thing you’ll have in life is yourself. Thus you have to venture out and explore all areas of your tastes and preferences, no matter how silly. Funnily enough, it is these little quirks and fancies that when ventured into and developed draw the admiration of others as paying fans or impressed employers.

Broaden your horizons, pursue your passions and most importantly, notwithstanding any group manners or expected societal correctness, be yourself.