Usually when you picture the average college student, you picture someone walking around in sweats with their hair tied up in a bun, rushing to their next class without caring what they look like. While this is all fine and expected, I also often go on Yik Yak and see people posting about their classmates being "way too dressed up for a Monday morning" and "acting like the BIGGEST try hard". Yes, those posts are probably about me, because I rarely leave for class in a pair of sweat pants, and I always try my best to look put together.

Us try hards are sick of hearing you complain about the fact that we went out of our way to put some effort into our appearance, or the fact that we actually try and stay engaged in an 8 a.m. lecture. Sure, college is exhausting and really sucks sometimes, and it's okay to just not feel like trying. But with that being said, it's also okay to want to try and look good if it's what makes you feel comfortable and confident. Chances are, I'm probably not looking at you in the middle of class wearing sweatpants and thinking "Wow, they look SO underdressed." So what makes it alright to call people out who put in effort? I personally don't feel good about myself if I don't wear an outfit that I think is cute on a normal weekday. I don't like the way I feel if I go to class with my hair tied up, wearing Ugg boots and an old sweatshirt.

Individuality is one of the most important characteristics that we can embrace throughout our lives. If you lose yourself trying to be like everyone around you, it makes it easier to feel some of your self worth slipping away. Individuality doesn't always mean stepping out from everyone around you and wearing something insane looking, it just means staying true to who you know you are as a person. So if you know that you're just the kind of person that is comfortable wearing a t-shirt to class, embrace that and be that person. And if you know that you're the person that just always feels the need to try and be well put together for class, be true to yourself and be that person. I find that it's harder for me to pay attention and stay engaged in class if I look sloppy, because that means that I'll just end up feeling sloppy.

It's always okay to want to try, and to want to better yourself as an individual. Those are skills that you will take into a world beyond college, and no one should make you feel less than them because of it.