Will looks win you friends?
First day of college is right here. Big dreams, new wardrobe and happening accessories – armed with these, the new brigade of students is all set for the first day of college. After all, college gets you started on your journey towards your chosen career path but also opens a whole new world of self discovery. And of course, making friends is an important aspect of the whole experience.
What’s more important to win friends in college – looks or knowledge? Are good looks enough to make friends? What about your knowledge, academic scores and general awareness?
Wisdom dictates that ‘looks can be deceptive.’ So, while you may absolutely crave the attention of a certain ‘hot chic’ or ‘cool dude’, don’t rush in for friendship for the looks alone. Friends must not become a distraction. Or you may end up wasting precious half of your time hanging around with the gang and the rest of it rewinding the experience in your mind. No matter how harmless and even liberating the experience may appear now, college is only a stage of life and to move on successfully one needs more than just good looks and good looking friends.
Clichéd but true that you are known by the company you keep. Friends that you can be proud enough to take home in the presence of mom and dad are unlikely to be found through a mega model hunt! Choices made on looks alone may appear frivolous beyond a point.
After all, handsome is as handsome does and beauty is impressive when coupled with brains. Anyways, looks are temporary and wither away with age, what remains evergreen is knowledge and wisdom. If you were to ask your parents, they would tell you that your face would look the best when featured on the college toppers’ list! Why not? Going forward, having a balanced figure on your mark-sheet could prove more vital to your career graph.
Not convinced? Well, just fast forward to the day of your exam results. The rankers will turn overnight stars. Media will cover their dreams and aspirations, what inspires them, etc.
Nevertheless, there’s no denying that feeling good about yourself adds to your confidence as you set out to make that all important first impression. But in the long run, it’s not so much about your physical attributes as it is about the way you package and present yourself. Your dress sense, your mannerisms, your communication skills are all important to how people perceive you. So, be at your best, radiating a confident smile and who knows, you could be a role model for many young admirers!
Even our Shiksha Café discussion on this topic, so far, has more supporters of knowledge over looks. “Knowledge is lasting and it also creates a lasting impression on people who appreciate substance over appearance. More importantly, I think in order to win friends you have to be a good friend first. If you are a good friend, you will win many friends,” says Neha Sharma Jha.
That should mean, it’s okay even if you don’t seem to score very well in the looks department. And you don’t need to be a class topper, to make and keep friends. Aneeket shares his personal experience commenting on the discussion at Shiksha café, “I would say if you are pursuing a known course in DU, you will make friends easily or another way can be to become a part of different societies including sports!”
For Arun Dev, a chief advisor at Shiksha café, neither looks nor knowledge can help win friends. He believes, "It’s our attitude, behaviour and nature that determines how others will be with us." Share your thoughts.
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