There has been a lot of bad press for our school recently. It seems that everything bad hits at once.
 

From a student death to a student arrest, I will avoid jinxing us and saying anything about it not getting any worse.
 

But it makes me wonder how this psychologically affects students on campus. Or more importantly, are these student tragedies related to SMU culture?
 

Coming to school here is an easy decision. The campus is beautiful, the people are gorgeous and the professors are ranked fairly high for a school of this size. Although the school is expensive, scholarships are given out to a large percentage of students. There are plenty of reasons to come here.
 

But a lot of students have a hard time finding a reason to stay, especially those who don’t join a sorority or find their place right away. SMU is pretty publicly defined as a party school with some of the prettiest girls of any school in the nation, but what if you’re not a party person?
 

I’m not here to complain about SMU. In fact, I have recently come to love this school, but I think that a lot of girls (and maybe boys) might agree with me that staying at this school all four years of college forces you to battle your insecurities.
 

My parents always told me that there is always going to be someone better than you, but they never sat me down to say, “You will come across about 200 girls every day who have 20 times more money than you and whose pretty blonde hair is never out of place.”
 

But here’s the thing. If you’ve ever experienced a moment of self-doubt or insecurity, or if you’ve watched a friend struggle with an eating disorder or worse, you might acknowledge that something needs to change. It’s time to be more considerate; it’s time to smile at the people you see walking to class.
 

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”
 

I’m not implying that anything in the past could’ve been changed or that any of the recent campus events have been a result of anyone’s actions–you cannot change people.
 

But if you want a boost in confidence, try reaching out to others and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find this campus to be a more pleasant place to spend “the best years of your life.”

Lauren Smart is a junior creative writing major. She can be reached for comment at [email protected]