I Love Dressing Up For Class, But Honestly, College Culture Ruins It For Me

I Love Dressing Up For Class, But Honestly, College Culture Ruins It For Me

Cardigans and button downs > Nike shorts and Comfort Color T-shirts.

Chantal Canales
Chantal Canales Apr 8, 2019
1200
views

Every day when I look at my closet, I get excited. Two rows of rods are full of dainty blouses, cozy sweaters, and jeans in every cut and color. Bandana scarves, gold hoop earrings, and velvet loafers are my favorite things to accessorize with, but when I walk out of my room, facing the college campus at 8 a.m., I stand out.

When I think of Baylor's fashion sense, I think of Nike shorts, oversized Comfort Color shirts, and New Balance sneakers. Don't get me wrong, you will find me on the weekend sporting a big sorority shirt and leggings as I lounge in my room all day resetting for another week of classes. There is nothing wrong with the typical college outfit. I even have an occasional lazy day during the week. But when I feel my best in my outfit and I walk out the door, suddenly my confidence drops a bit.

People always ask me, "Why are you so dressed up for class?" and I always respond, "Why not?!?" I absolutely love dressing in a button down shirt and my favorite Madewell cardigan (a bit of a splurge I know). But when people ask me that question it hurts my esteem somehow. Why question why I'm dressed up?

The college culture of dressing in shorts and a t-shirt ruins the appeal of dressing up for class sometimes. There's always a question if I have a special occasion going on or if I have an interview that day. Or if I am trying to impress someone.

No, I am not trying to impress anyone. No, I don't have an interview. I dress up for me, and no one else.

Maybe it's because I am an aspiring writer/photographer/designer dreaming of living out my life in NYC, a fashion capital. I imagine myself someday walking to my job in the latest fashions, walking confidently, I want to present my best foot forward every day.

SEE ALSO: Stop Being Lazy: Why You Should Always Look Cute For Class

Every day is a chance to make an impression, and I plan on using each day to make a great impression on the world. My philosophy is dress well, do well. Dressing up to class even makes me feel more prepared for my day. I can take the time in the morning to put my outfit together, feeling more relaxed as I let go of my worries even for only 20 minutes each day. It's like a morning ritual, but make it fashion.

I stick out like a sore thumb, but I don't care. I love walking around campus in my Lucky Brand denim jacket and my Warby Parker glasses.

Chantal Canales
Chantal Canales Apr 8, 2019
At Baylor University

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20 Small Tattoos With Big Meanings

Tattoos with meaning you can't deny.
Samantha Williams
Samantha Williams Dec 23, 2014
1572744
views

It's tough to find perfect tattoos with meaning.

You probably want something permanent on your body to mean something deeply, but how do you choose a tattoo that will still be significant in 5, 10, 15, or 50 years? Over time, tattoos have lost much of their stigma and many people consider them a form of art, but it's still possible to get a tattoo you regret.

So here are 20 tattoos you can't go wrong with. Each tattoo has its own unique meaning, but don't blame me if you still have to deal with questions that everyone with a tattoo is tired of hearing!

SEE RELATED: "Please Stop Asking What My Tattoos Mean"

1. A semicolon indicates a pause in a sentence but does not end. Sometimes it seems like you may have stopped, but you choose to continue on.


2. "A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor."


3. Top symbol: unclosed delta symbol which represents open to change. Bottom symbol: strategy.


4. "There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls."


5. Viking symbol meaning "create your own reality."


6. Greek symbol of Inguz: Where there's a will, there's a way.

7. Psalm 18:33 "He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights."


8. 'Ohm' tattoo that represents 4 different states of consciousness and a world of illusion: waking (jagrat), dreaming (swapna), deep sleep (sushupti), transcendental state (turiya) and world of illusion (maya).


9. Alchemy: symbolizes copper, means love, balance, feminine beauty, and artistic creativity.


10. The Greek word “Meraki" means to do something with soul, passion, love, and creativity or to put yourself into whatever you do.


11. Malin (Skövde, Sweden) – you have to face setbacks to be able to go forward.

12. Symbol meaning "thief" from "The Hobbit." It was the rune Gandalf etched into Bilbo's door so the dwarves could find his house.


13. “Lux in tenebris" means “light in darkness."

14. Anchor Tattoo: symbolizing strength and stability, something (or someone) who holds you in place, and provides you the strength to hold on no matter how rough things get.

15."Ad Maiora" is translated literally as “Towards greater things." It is a formula of greeting used to wish more success in life, career or love.


16. A glyph means “explore." It was meant as a reminder for me to never stop exploring.

17. "Aut inveniam viam aut faciam," meaning roughly, "Either I shall find a way, or I will make one."


18. Lotus Flower. It grows in muddy water, and it is this environment that gives forth the flower's first and most literal meaning: rising and blooming above the murk to achieve enlightenment.

19. The zen (or ensō) circle to me represents enlightenment, the universe and the strength we all have inside of us.

20. Two meanings. The moon affirms life. It looks as if it is constantly changing. Can remind us of the inconsistency of life. It also symbolizes the continuous circular nature of time and even karma.


SEE ALSO: Sorry That You're Offended, But I Won't Apologize For My Tattoos

Samantha Williams
Samantha Williams Dec 23, 2014
At University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Coming Home From College For The Summer Is Much Needed

Wait, how do you drive a car again?

Shelby Arnett
Shelby Arnett May 22, 2019
33
views

Since finals week began, I believe I can say for all college students that we were ready to come back to our hometowns for the summer. We had grown tired of eating at the dining hall, spending countless hours in the library, and pulling laundry from the dryers for it to still be damp. Being home for the summer rids you of those worries and only provides a sense of comfort and security with a furnished home and bedroom to yourself. We sometimes forget how things were before college, with a fully stocked refrigerator and even a dishwasher to keep things clean. Coming home often makes life much easier.

Coming home means revisiting all of your favorite places around town — restaurants, parks, or museums — with fresh eyes. Being away from these places for months on end only causes you to develop a deeper appreciation for the little things. In my case, the first thing I did upon arriving home was take a trip to my favorite local coffee shop. Not only is the coffee delicious, but going back to the shop itself also brings back numerous memories made over the past four years.

That is one of the best things about coming home — it's as if you're rediscovering parts of yourself that you left behind.

Being back in your hometown also enables you to reconnect with only friends and classmates whom you haven't seen in months or even a full year. Whether it be going for a walk together or grabbing breakfast, being able to update one another on your year of college life makes for great connections. You oftentimes find yourself missing your old friends more than you thought, but once you all get together again, it seems like nothing has changed.

One of my favorite parts of being home is spending more time with my family. I have never felt so grateful for home-cooked meals or a real washer and dryer until I stepped into my house again. Rather than talking on the phone with my parents about our days, I can sit down with them at the kitchen table and have a conversation in person. I also never realized that I would miss my parents — or my dog — as much as I did over the past year.

Though finding activities to pass the time can sometimes get "boring" in one's hometown, spending some time away can reinstate plenty of ideas. My sister and I found ourselves making a list of things we can do throughout the summer, and though some of the things we had done before, it sounded so much more exciting after spending the school year in a different city.

In the end, coming home makes you appreciate your town even more.

Even if you didn't love it before, being home for just a few months keeps you from taking life's finer things for granted. Especially when it's summer, you can relax on your own couch without the stress of school in front of you. Enjoy your city while you can, because it is always there to welcome you back.

Shelby Arnett
Shelby Arnett May 22, 2019
At University of Kentucky

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