15 Things You Should Stop Saying to Liberal Arts Students

1. "Psychology is not a real science."-Says someone who does not know the difference between the Thalamus and the Hypothalamus, does not know how to pronounce the word "Amygdala," and the only psychologist they've ever heard of is Sigmund Freud. They also do not have an opinion on the DSM-V, and in fact have never read or heard of the DSM.
2. "You should reconsider your career choice." People say this more often than you'd think, and it takes everything in me to maintain my composure. No, I'm completely stupid. I have never had any doubts about going into the arts whatsoever.
3. "STEM careers make so much more money." Yeah, I'm gonna be broke; I get it. But I would rather play guitar on the side of the street than draw another Lewis dot structure any day.
4. "My [insert relative or friend] did your career choice and ended up..." Okay, maybe they're homeless or miserable. Whatever. That's them. Just because they failed at it doesn't mean I will.
5. "Well, it's harder for [women, people of color, girls with natural hair, etc.] to get a job in..." Once again, I'm completely stupid and did not notice the melanin in my skin. Never knew I was black. I never realized I was a woman, either. Nope. I never knew racism or sexism existed. What. A. Shocker.
6. "But you're so good at [insert a thing that you're so-so at and don't enjoy that much]!" But I don't wanna do that.
7. "It's hard to get a job in that field." It's also hard to become an astronaut or engineer, but no one discourages them. 
8. "You're wasting your potential." You're wasting my time.
9. "Hopefully you'll marry someone rich." I hope I will, too.
10. "[after saying something completely rude and condescending] I'm only looking out for you!" Dude, I'm not a baby. More specifically, I'm not YOUR baby, so stop acting like you're my mom and respect that this is a decision I am making. I know what I'm doing; I've already planned which states/countries I will move to, how long I will stay there, how much it will cost to live there, and what I will do while I am there. You don't have to look out for me unless you're gonna pay my tuition.
11. "But you don't have the voice for theater/voiceover/broadcasting..." Because you're an expert on that? I wouldn't choose this field if no one told me I had a chance.
12. "You're in a lot of classes this semester? Yeah, but that's an easy program..." Music majors perform in front of a board of professors nearly every semester; have to learn how to play/sing music just from looking at it right there, on the spot; must learn piano in addition to whatever they're already studying, must be a part of a campus ensemble, and perform in a senior recital. Journalism majors never sleep and are expected to write for the campus newspaper or broadcast on the radio. Graphic design majors do... some really intense stuff, whatever it is. Just because they don't write equations in their notes every day doesn't mean their work isn't difficult.
13. "You need to have a backup plan." Journalism IS my backup plan. You can fail at something you don't love, so why not take a chance on your passion?
14. "I always thought you would become a doctor. You could do that, instead." Look, I enjoy underwater basketweaving, okay? Let me basketweave underwater in peace.
15. "It's just not a good idea." So long as I love what I do, it's a great idea.

Bedroom Makeover: The Victoria's Secret Trash Can

Let's be honest: trash cans are eye sores. No one wants to touch them, they don't go well with anything, some of them are translucent-- just no.

I hated my trash can. My room is pink, and this puke green trash can was just not working with my theme. I know that it's just a small little can that needs to be in there, but must it be so ugly?

When my older sister moved out about a month ago (which meant I got to have my own room), I was determined to turn my room into a place I enjoyed being in. That's why I have roses around my closet, and other stuff you'll see later. I decided I wanted a room that was mostly pink, though I chose to keep the walls white.

When I say I wanted the room pink, I mean it. Which meant the green can needed to go.

However, I do not have a job yet, and no way was I going to beg my parents for a stinkin' trash can when I could be asking for more important things... like a bank account or money for driver's ed.

So, once again, I found a problem in my room, and I needed to solve it.

This also applies to you college kids! Most dormitories don't supply trash cans, so why not make a cute one out of something you already have?

A lot of girls shop at Victoria's Secret. I don't, because... let's be real. It's lingerie. I'm doing just fine with my yoga panties I got for five dollars at Gabriel Brothers. However, my sister saved some of her bags, so that left some DIY material for me.

It's simple, really. Just take your trash can and stick it inside a gift bag (or, in my case, a Victoria's Secret bag). You can also do a little extra, like I did-- put in some tissue paper for decoration. I also have another Victoria's Secret trash can by my bed for convenience, but I didn't take a picture because my room is a wreck right now.

So yeah. That's what I had to talk about. Thanks for reading.

Challenge Yourself for No Reason At All

If you are one of the millions of adults who has graduated from high school between... well, ever and now, you know how stressful it is. You know about the college entrance exams (if you live in Asia), the SAT/ACT (I got a 21 on my ACT Plan... not exactly on pointe if I want to get into Northwestern. Plus, four people [yes, I calculated] scored higher than me on the English component in my school. So I gotta outscore four of these chickens), the extra-curriculars, the community service, the academics, and then the increased load that comes when you actually start applying to colleges. So far, I'm looking at:

Northwestern University (Illinois; Big Ten; my dream school)
Howard University (Washington, D.C.; Historically Black College & University; secondary dream)
New York University (New York)
Olivet Nazarene University (Illinois)
Wright State University (Ohio)
Bowling Green State University (Ohio)
Xavier University (Ohio)
Penn State University (Pennsylvania)
And who knows? Maybe one of the Ivy Leagues. But if I apply to one of them, it'll be U Penn.

So, of course, since I am applying to all of these schools... okay. I know you're only supposed to apply to like, three, but because musical theatre is a very competitive major, I need to apply to as many schools as possible. After all, I'm not really that confident in my acting skills, to be honest. But since I am applying to this many schools, I need to have a lot of extra-curriculars. I have done and plan on doing:

4-H (didn't like it too much, but I was the secretary for two years, which I enjoyed)
Junior Council on World Affairs (this year was my first; my team won third place at the Quiz Bowl)
My little cake business (no business yet and I'm kinda sorta locked out of my e-mail, so I hope no orders are coming in...)
Theatre camp (I actually get to see Million Dollar Quartet this year)
Jazz/ballet/acro (haven't started yet)
Community service at my local library
Community theatre (haven't started yet)
School play (this spring)
National Honor Society (hoping I'll get in this fall)
Key Club (maybe)
And much more...

Every single one of these activities are geared towards a goal. The school play is for my acting resume. NHS looks impressive to competitive schools. However, I realized I may be a little too focused on getting to my dream school, to the point where it's becoming tunnel vision and I'm barely doing anything for the fun of it.

So, I came up with a fun challenge. To read 200 books by the end of the year.

I was inspired by Kelli from "Blimey Cow" who did a similar challenge to read 100 books in a year. However, I'm probably going to be there by June. So, for no reason at all, I'm reading 200 books this year. I'm already in the forties. I guess I do have an underlying reason... to outscore the four bumbanuts who scored higher than me on the English component of the ACT Plan. BUT! It's mostly for fun *eye twitches*.

Here's what I've finished reading (this year) so far:

Bleach 1-19 by Tite Kubo
Line by Yua Kotegawa
Alive: The Final Evolution 1-5 by Tadashi Kawashima
Sailor Moon 1-2
Wedding Planning for Dummies
The New Teen Titans: Who is Donna Troy? (DC Comics)
The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (DC Comics)
Attack on Titan 1-6 by Hajime Isayama
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
School Rumble 2-3 (I read the first book last year)
Brave Music of a Distant Drum
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Twisted by Sara Shepard
Seiho Boys' High School 2

I'm also reading the third Gossip Girl novel, Wicked, some musical theatre books, and The Strange Case of Jekyll & Hyde. If anyone has book recommendations, let me know.

Also, I made other goals that you can try too.

-Learning a new language. I'm already taking Chinese, but after all my anime-watching and manga reading, I've decided to take up Japanese as well. And Zulu, for some reason.
-Learning new songs on guitar. I'm going to start playing my guitar again and try learning "Ain't That Peculiar," "Shiawase (Happiness)" by PUFFY, and "Alchemy" by Kyler England.

What are some little goals you can set for yourself?