It has become the college uniform: the worn-in, oversized, beloved t-shirt. I own more t-shirts than I definitely should, so I can be found one almost on a daily basis. The classic combination of a t-shirt and Nike shorts or leggings is the way to go because it is easy, convenient and comfortable. What’s so special about t-shirts? Why are t-shirts such essential items in the life of a college student? You would think that these accouterments are seldom thought about as I am changing clothes as I rush out of the door on the way to class. However, each and every morning when I am picking out which particular t-shirt I should wear that day, I get to walk down memory lane.

When I wear a t-shirt from a recent basketball game, I think about how proud I am to attend my college - about my love and pride for my school. When I wear a t-shirt with my sorority’s letters plastered across the front, I think of how deeply I care for the sisterhood that I am lucky to be a part of. When I wear a t-shirt that I obtained during one of my many years of summer camp, I think back to the wonderful time spent with long-distance friends in the beautiful mountains. When I wear a t-shirt from my high school, I recollect on the good times and good friends I was lucky enough to meet at the time. You can learn so much about a person based on the t-shirts they own.

Every t-shirt tells a story: they are filled with memories long-forgotten, stains that will never again be seen and thoughts of the best and the worst times. So, I may look like a “slob” for wearing t-shirts to class (almost) every day, but my collection of t-shirts represents who I am, what I care about and what I am made up of. T-shirts are my way of sharing my memories with the world.

College is a time meet a wide variety of people who have very different, diverse backgrounds, upbringings and involvements. And each and every person has a different t-shirt collection to exhibit his life. Next time you see someone adorning an interesting t-shirt, strike up a conversation with him about it; you never know what memories that that simple piece of colored fabric might hold.