Over the course of the past year, I have made a conscious effort to consider my time spent at Ohio State. Not only did I consider all of my accomplishments and happy memories, but I also took time to think about my biggest regrets and things that I had to learn the hard way. In this entry, I will express my actualizations so that you can apply them to your lifestyle before it’s too late!

1. Curiosity is Hot!

If there is one thing I’ve come to realize in life, it’s that people LOVE talking about themselves. It’s natural! I’m really not trying to rip on anyone, it’s scientifically proven that self-disclosure activates neural regions associated with pleasure, motivation, and reward. Whether you are in an interview, attending a networking event, or even on a first date, by asking questions and getting the person you are talking to rolling on a story or a hobby he or she has, you are actually guaranteed to be liked or at least associated with a positive experience. There are many ways you can go about showing curiosity.

First, it helps if you actually care about whatever the person you’re talking to is talking about. Try bringing up topics that you have in common, for example, if you are in a job interview, ask about the interviewer’s personal experience on the job. What does his or her day-to-day look like? What does he or she enjoy most about the job? Least? How did he or she get started in this position? What made him or her stick around? Favorite or most influential experience on the job? Most embarrassing moment? Not only will you get the interviewer talking about him or herself, but you will learn more about what the job will entail on a more personal level. Think about a time that you were talking to someone about something you were passionate about. How exhilarating was it when he or she asked you a question or expanded on something you forgot to mention? Asking questions shows that the listener is not only actively paying attention to what you are saying, but he or she is captivated enough to want to know more. Ask questions when you are being taught something. Pay attention and use the knowledge you obtain to leverage future conversations with that person in order to build a more meaningful relationship. Being curious has its perks: you get smarter and will know more than your peers. Knowledge truly is a weapon in this industry. The more you know, the more attractive you become.

2. You Can Do More by Doing Less.

During my time at OSU, I was involved in a multitude of different organizations. I was an MMC scholar, a member of the Tri Delta Social Sorority, the Pi Sigma Epsilon Professional Business Fraternity, an Empower Mentor, an intern at the National Center for the Middle Market, involved with STEP which allowed me to consult abroad, and, how could I forget to mention, a sandwich maker at Oxley’s by the Numbers Café.

Although I am beyond grateful for all of these experiences and what they contributed to my open-minded tendencies, I think that trying to do too much while simultaneously keeping up with my course load and social life prohibited me from really capitalizing on one or two more influential positions in an organization as opposed to being labeled as a “general member” in many more. I think that it’s hard to truly understand the patience, dedication, and problem-solving techniques it takes to be a good leader unless you actually hold the position. I would have to say that the thing I regret most during my college career is not even attempting to hold an executive leadership position in one of the organizations I am affiliated with. I used the quantity of my involvement and the desire to maintain a vibrant social life to justify not committing to a position for one specific organization. I look up to E-Board in PSE and in Tri Delt and in all the other organizations I joined. Exec board is so impressive to achieve and intimidatingly cool, and I wish that I tried harder to hold one of these positions. So yes - get involved, make friends, prioritize time for yourself – but don’t dedicate time to things that you aren’t getting a lot out of, even if it looks good on your resume. Pick a couple of organizations and activities (and even people) that you genuinely believe will develop you into the best version of yourself.

3. Fake it Until You Make it … Literally Everyone Else is.

There have been so many times in my life that I didn’t contribute to a conversation or express my confusion because I felt stupid. This has been especially prevalent in my life because I chose a major that is so heavily dominated by driven and opinionated men. Instead of letting this discourage me from being hopeful that I can bring something meaningful to the conversation, I used it as a challenge to go out of my comfort zone and express my ideas, even if at first they seemed unfeasible or irrelevant.

I learned that a lot of the time, people don’t really know what’s going on! You will be surprised at how much you learn when you voice your thoughts. Others will either learn from what you say or tell you that you are way off and help you understand where you are wrong. Sometimes, you really just have to pretend like you know what’s going on to get enough information in order to actually know what’s going on. Another thing I’ve realized as a woman is that people underestimate us. Did you know that men and women are unequivocally equal when it comes to general intelligence? Refutably, if a woman says something remotely intelligent, she becomes unnervingly perceived as a genius more than if a man were to say the same thing. This may seem deranged, but as women, we can use it to our advantage for as long as people let us. That is another thing worth mentioning: if there is anything you have or know that you can use to your advantage, do it. Anyone else in your situation would do the same thing. I am so glad I immersed myself in a culture full of driven and opinionated men. I believe that these are admirable qualities, and by surrounding myself with them, I developed some drive and opinion as well.

There are so many things that I’ve learned these past four years. If I could start all over, I would do exactly what I told you in this entry: be hot, do less, and be fake. It’s as simple as that!