Everyone has heard about major shaming before. "Oh, English majors can't get a real job," or "What are you going to do with an art degree?" are some common examples of major shaming you might hear as a college student, but I'm here to talk about a different type of shaming: college shaming.

See, I'm a born and raised Texan, and I decided to go to a tiny college in a tiny town in Mississippi. I chose my school because it offered a great program for my major, as well as the largest scholarship offer of any of the schools I applied to and a Christian environment (something I preferred in a school). But I am not here to defend my school to you.

Since deciding to go to school in Mississippi, and especially since coming back to Texas for the summer, I often hear comments like "Why would you go to school in Mississippi?" or "Mississippi College? I've never even heard of it. Why didn't you choose X school in Texas?" Now, most of these comments are made in jest, but some are not. People judge me because of my choice in school.

And this isn't just an MC problem. Every day, people are judged for attending a community college for two years or for going to a public university instead of a private one. Why do we judge people based on their college choice? Every single person who is attending college is (or should be) actively seeking to better him or herself. They are sacrificing time and money to further their education so they can be a more valuable member of society. Often, people choose to attend a school based on either their aptitude or their financial situation; they do what is the best option for them.

It is not our place to judge someone for their choice. It is not your right to think that you are smarter than someone else simply because you go to what you consider a "better university." I was being sought out by multiple Ivy League universities, as well as other top schools, but still chose to go to Mississippi College because I felt like that was where God wanted me and where I could thrive the most.

Let people live their lives; let people seek self-improvement without fear of judgment. Here's a thought: maybe if our judgment didn't force people to feel like they need to attend a fancy private university, student debt wouldn't be such a rampant national problem. As long as people are doing their best to learn, let them, and keep your opinions out of it.