Everyone is either an introvert or an extrovert. You may be more of one than another, but ultimately, at a certain point you're going to fall on the continuum between introversion and extraversion. These are terms used to distinguish psychological preferences as used in the Myers-Briggs Test that refer to a set of letters that correlate with different personality types. For example, my Myers-Briggs personality type is a solid ISFJ (introversion, sensing, feeling and judging), but for today's sake, we are only discussing the “I" and not the “SFJ."

Personally, I identify as an extroverted introvert — seems a little contradictory at first, but being an extroverted introvert just means that internally, my personality is that of an introvert, but I tend to channel my extroverted side in social settings. In other words, I am an outgoing introvert. I love people, I love talking an interacting with people, and I love being that social butterfly, but instead of gaining energy from these social situations as an extrovert may do, these situations actually drain energy from me.

So, what's the difference between extraversion and introversion?

Most people tend to assume that extroverts are the super outgoing, friendly, socialites, whereas the introverts are the shy, reserved, and quiet people. Well, for the most part, those who are outgoing and loud are usually extroverted, and those who are quiet and reserved are usually introverted; however, just because someone is outgoing doesn't make them an extrovert, and just because someone is shy doesn't make them an introvert.

Extraversion and introversion have more to do with where a person gets their energy from, rather than what that person does in their free time or how many friends they have. In essence, extroverts draw energy from others in social situations. In other words, other people allow them to charge up and feel energized, so extroverts tend to express themselves quickly and verbally. On the other hand, introverts gain energy from within, such as by having time to themselves to think and reflect. Therefore, in social situations, introverts seem to be more quiet at first, because they think things through before they speak, and extroverts tend to draw energy away from introverts.

So, if everyone falls on this spectrum of introversion vs extraversion, what does that have to do with being in college?

Well, in today's society, in which there is an expectation and ideal to be extroverted, this can be very difficult for those of us on the more introverted side. Job interviews, college interviews, anything of the sort — you are expected to be an extrovert. Especially when attending a school like UVA, in which extroverted individuals with Type A personalities dominate, introverts often fall under the radar, just because they may not always be the first ones to speak up in class.

Going to school with all these successful individuals can be quite intimidating. And in a school in which everyone is successful and intelligent to a certain extent, there is a lot of competition to be better than one another, and a lot of this stems from social situations. For a large and integrated school like UVA, almost everything, every opportunity stems from a group setting — a lot of it is about how you work in groups and UVA is always searching for the leaders in the community. Well, anyone who knows anything about leadership and teamwork knows that to be a good leader, you do not have to be an extrovert. However, often the way that these situations are set up, especially in which most people are fairly well-qualified, those who stand out are the ones who speak up first, talk the loudest, socialize with the most people — the extroverts. Regardless of whether an introvert may be much more qualified, the fact that they take the time to think before speaking allows others to overpower a conversation and push them aside.

Being introverted in college not only hinders your success in socially competitive situations, but it just wears you out. Going back to what I mentioned earlier about where people gain energy from, constantly being put in such competitive and social situations drains a lot of energy from introverts. Furthermore, at UVA, in which the social scene dominates the university, (and by social scene, I don't just mean the parties, but just the overall socialization), people are constantly around, and you are expected to always be doing something and to always be around others. UVA creates such an atmosphere in which there really is no “slacking off." You are constantly working, studying, or socializing, as goes with the infamous work hard, play hard motto. The only problem with this scene is that you never get a break. This is the kind of thing extroverts thrive off of, but for introverts, it tires them out. The thing with introverts is that while we can be very social when we want to, we still have a limited supply of energy to expend before we need to recharge again, and when people are constantly all over the place, there is not much time for recharging.

For me, being an outgoing introvert, I love the social scene, and the fact that there are always people around. However, soon enough, I realized that I was more mentally exhausted than physically exhausted, and that this was the result of constantly being put in social situations without having any time to myself. I would take quick naps thinking that I was just tired, but in reality, it was my mind that was tired, not my body. Looking back on this past year, I realized that I rarely had an entire day all to myself just to perhaps sleep in, sit around and read or watch TV, and have a bit of alone time. Even when I was studying, I was in the library surrounded by friends.

So, the next time you jump to conclusions about extroverts and introverts, realize that neither is better than the other. It's just that people think in different ways, process information in different ways and express themselves in different ways. Perhaps it is time we change the extrovert ideal and start a quiet revolution. And as a famous introvert, Eleanor Roosevelt, once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."