Confidence is always important to have, especially for incoming freshmen. You must always be confident in yourself to succeed—that means staying positive. Instead of noticing things you can’t do, focus on what you can do.
Doing so takes bravery, which is another part of confidence. You may be afraid to talk to others or ask for help, share ideas, or even walk in broad daylight in a crowd. Having confidence, though, allows you to fight back against those common fears you may encounter, especially in courses like public speaking, science labs, or, later, your capstone.
Confidence is necessary for building relationships. Having friends on campus provides you with mutual moral support, a study buddy, and someone to hang out with in your free time.
Having confidence allows you to validate yourself, too. Self-validation allows you to tap into your own originality in the most unapologetic way. Everyone is special in their own way, including you!
One way this originality can be demonstrated is with clothing choice. At ABAC, you will undoubtedly see lots of blue jeans, button-up shirts, cowboy hats, and boots. This style fits the setting, but just because a lot of students dress that way doesn’t mean you have to conform to that style. After all, diversity is what keeps everything, including yourself, from being boring.
My choice of goth clothing—black lipstick, chokers, gloves, and leather heels—deviates extremely from typical southern styles. During my time at ABAC, even though my outfits are different from most students, I have received non-stop compliments about my style.
You should also not refrain from sharing your own input. One voice could lead to a big change in club activities or possibly the whole campus.
Overall, originality is closely associated with creativity—sometimes you have to think outside the box. Creativity can benefit you during class projects, allowing you to stand out amongst your classmates and to your professors.
Trying something new might be scary, but it cannot hurt you. Embrace it! Just know, though, that you may encounter some disagreement over your choices from others, whether that disagreement stems from prejudice or preference.
In these moments, confidence can be a greatly beneficial tool. While everybody is entitled to their own opinions, you don’t necessarily have to listen to them or take them personally.
Having your own ideas can spark your own confidence, even if those ideas don’t work out. When that happens, you should only keep trying and, most importantly, stay true to yourself and your ideas.
The concept of confidence and originality being great tools for a college student’s success is simple. If something stops you from realizing your confidence in class, you can display it elsewhere. Confidence can fluctuate and change over time, but as long as you stay confident and original, you will be fine.