You are more than the sport you play. He is more than the grades that he gets. She is more than how she looks. And I am more than just a title. No one thing defines me, just like no one thing irrevocably defines you or anyone else. Yet we are naturally inclined to take the first thing we know or assume about someone and label them for it. Truthfully, we are all guilty of falling into stereotyping and treating a person differently because of it.

What is worse is that as we stereotype, we talk. The stares are always noticed and no matter how low you think you're talking, the person you gossip about hears the whispers. Judging a person is impossible to avoid, but we can stop ourselves from treating someone based on a stereotype. So why don't we?

Every single one of us has been stereotyped, thrown into one category just because of one 'known' characteristic. It happens to me all the time. Normally I just ignore it, but sometimes it gets to me. Yeah, I am in the Honors College. I like to read, I play video games and I was the President of my high school debate team. I am a 'nerd.' But guess what? I am also in a sorority. We do amazing philanthropic deeds and focus heavily on academics, but all others see is the stereotype surrounding 'party-crazy,' 'promiscuous' sorority girls. I am also a member of a spirit squad that requires me to put on a cute, bedazzled skirt and go out and cheer for my team. I tend to wear 'preppy' clothes and rarely leave my room without at least a little mascara on. Apparently, this part of me is automatically labeled 'stupid' and 'shallow.' It looks like I am fighting for both sides of the 'cool kid' versus 'nerd' war, but in actuality I am just being myself and being judged for it on all sides.

I get made fun of for it, too. We hear about the cheerleaders mocking the nerds all the time, but this time, I was 'the cheerleader' and I was being made fun of by 'the nerds.' A group of kids in one of my past honors classes saw me all dressed up in my uniform and started questioning how I could possibly be smart enough to have gotten in. Stereotype: All cheerleaders are dumb. Truth: I work hard to keep my GPA and just have a lot of pride in my school. I'd love to see one of them try and put on the eyelashes I have to wear. That takes some brainpower.

I am lucky. I am not outright bullied and I am able to brush off the stereotypes because I have an amazing support system that reminds me that who people think I am is not who I really am. Not everyone is so lucky. People are bullied to the point of tears just for being "the 'weak' short kid," "the 'stupid' football player" or "the 'slutty' sorority girl," when really it could not be further from the truth. One characteristic is misconstrued into a stereotype that can ruin a person.

The next time you want to treat some one based on a stereotype, take a second to recalculate and think about yourself. Aren't there parts of you that are nerdy, cool, edgy, weird, sporty, intelligent, foolish, etc.? You might not show them off all at once, but that does not mean it's not a part of who you are. Would you want to be treated differently because of that dumb question that slipped out in class one day, or the time you decided to skip a party in order to enjoy a quiet night in with a book? For playing a sport or being in a certain club? How about for just doing something you enjoy? It all comes back to that cute little 'golden' rule we were taught in kindergarten: Treat others how you want to be treated. We are in college. I am too damn busy to deal with these stereotypes anymore.