Our current society is truly one of the most undeserving of self-appreciation. We hold ourselves with high standing under the belief that we are highly progressive and socially just. The more and more things I hear, whether in the media or just among normal conversations, the more I come to understand the disparity between reality and common belief. People believe being a female in this world has come to be an easy feat. Specifically a college student, it's one of the more difficult things I’ve had to deal with.

The general public believes a university setting is a typically fair environment for both sexes. In fact, more women are typically enrolled in university than men. Despite whatever statistics or data that present women equally represented or fairly treated within a college environment, the reality is far from that.

What is it like really being a girl in college? It's hard and actually pretty terrifying. Socially, you are respected as nothing more than a sexualized vehicle for partying and drinking. As a freshman, you are told girls can get into any party solely because you’re a girl. It may seem like an ideal situation, but the motives behind that ideology are more egregious.

We are continually commoditized by the male population. In fact, one situation that particularly bothered me was on a night walking home from a frat with a guy friend of mine. He happened to mention that one of his brothers was “salty” because he thought this guy was going home with me. I was confused because neither of them seemed to think whether or not I wanted to go home with either of them was overall my choice and not a product of if they were attracted to me or not. The guy’s response to this was simply, “Well, we wouldn’t have thought about that.”

Unfortunately, as a woman on a college campus, the basic sexism faced by drunk frat boys cat-calling you from outside their house isn’t the worst thing we have faced. Sexual assault and non-consensual situations run rampant throughout each campus. Even more unfortunate is the fact that women have little to no options on how to deal with the aftermath of such situations. Yes, we could go to the police; yes, we could start a lifelong legal battle that would likely end in an unfair ruling.

So what's the real cost of going to the authorities with a situation like that? It leads to more pain and injustice towards the victim. Yes, I understand that this is a highly simplified and generalized model and that there are certain situations that contradict, but overall, the institutions that surround us in a college setting underhandedly reject the female influence in society.

Being a girl in college is incredibly scary. The truth is that despite our “progressive” society, the institutions based in age-old understandings of gender roles have influenced the college setting greatly. The fact is that when I go out at night, I am always encouraged to “be safe and always have a buddy with you.” Do men have to do this when they go out at night? The answer is no.