Is it Important to Fit In at School?

Have you been plagued with the desire to "fit in" at school, at work, in society? I mean, I completely understand your reasoning if you do; you want to be accepted and not be put down or shunned by the fact that you're different than everyone else with their Hollister clothes and superficial attitudes. Yes, we all get sucked into the norms at some point, wishing that we could get the chance to set our own trends and not be on the outskirts of acceptability. But some of us are just not meant to fit in to this materialized society.

Some of us are meant for bigger things.

We are the ones who don't quite understand the whole point of talking about the the juiciest gossip about who broke up with who, or what in the world did that girl do to her hair. Everyone loves a big fat conspiracy, no matter how meaningless it is. And then there are the completely over enthusiastic, way-too-much-fanticizing conversations that involve the oh so beloved Zach Efron or any other celebrity who you'd do anything for to marry. And the heated discussions about the toughest Jock in the school, or the lamest kid. Don't you not see the meaninglessness of all these time-wasting thoughts? It's up to you to save the teenaged population from becoming the race of superficiality.

And you, dear reader; if you want to follow in the footsteps of these Masters of All that is Shallow, then feel free. But you are going in the wrong direction. Yes, I do understand the urge that we all get to be noticed or even liked by the majority of the teenaged mass. It's only human nature to want to be considered as the same social level as the rest of your school. But sadly, that's not how the world works; somehow, certain random groups of people are sorted into 'popular' and others aren't, but if you are not, you shouldn't feel ashamed because that makes you no less than anyone else. (And if you are in the group of popularity, don't let that change who you are inside.) I feel that if you are not fitting in as much as you would hope, you should know that that is a gift, not a curse. You are gifted with the Sight, and you have the ability to see what no other teenager sees: the unimportance of most things considered "cool" and "normal." And so, I leave the decision to you to choose what you think is important; fitting in, or being yourself in all your unique glory.

Copyright Intelligent One

Jero was born and raised in Pittsburgh, he fell in love with the melodramatic music enka.  He began singing Enka actively at the age of six. He first began pursuing his dream to become an Enka artist because of the influence of his Japanese grandmother Takiko, who raised him. His parents divorced when he was young, he was reared amid a strong sense of Japanese.

His grandmother, originally from Yokohama, first introduced Jero to Enka and it was under her guidance that he grew to love the genre as a child. Jero is very well loved and known in Japan. He has also capture the hearts of many people in the United States with his beautiful Eenka music.

Enka (演歌?) is a popular Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern enka, however, is a relatively recent musical form which arose in the context of such postwar expressions of modern Japanese nonmaterial nationalism as nihonjinron, while adopting a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than ryÅ«kōka music, popular during the prewar years.[1]

Modern enka, as developed in the postwar era, is a form of sentimental ballad music. Some of the first modern enka singers were Hachiro Kasuga, Michiya Mihashi, and Hideo Murata.[2] The revival of enka in its modern form is said to date from 1969, when Keiko Fuji made her debut.

There are hundreds of books, websites, movies, and shows about college life. College can be a blast, but it can be very easy to fall behind in your academics. If you can learn to balance work and play, your time in college can easily be the best time of your life! Here are a couple words of advice that might help your time in college run a little smoother. 

1. Know which requirements you need to fulfill for graduation. – I can’t stress how important this is! You can save yourself a lot of time and money if you know which courses you have to graduate. Don’t wait until your last semester to realize a class you need is not going to be offered!

Many colleges (especially state schools) are undergoing budget cuts. This means that many of the courses that students need to take to fulfill their graduation requirements will not be offered every semester. If you are still trying to figure out what you want to major in, take as many of the classes that your college requires in order to use your time wisely.

1. Make new friends, but keep the old- whether you are going to a college in your hometown, or studying abroad, make sure to keep in touch with friends and family back home. Your friends are your friends for a reason! Sometimes it can be hard to adjust to life as a college student. Your friends and family back home can be a great support system as you transition.

1. Communicate with your professor- Your professors and TAs are now THE MOST important people in your academic life. Odds are, if you’re having problems with a paper or need an extension on something, go in to their office hours and give them a heads up. Your professor will have very little sympathy for your panic, excuse-ridden e-mail an hour before your assignment is due. Professors can also help your career more than you can imagine. Professors are experts in their field, which means they have connections with many of the people could be your potential employers.

1. Stay active: I gained so much weight my first year in college, my parents hardly recognized me when I came home over the summer. Unless you’re a student athlete, you may not realize how sedentary your lifestyle can become in college. The combination of cafeteria food, late night snacking, and lack of exercise made me blow up like the Michelin man. Keep track of your diet and do fun activities to stay active. Trust me, it’s a lot of hard work to lose that extra weight once you’ve gained it!

Whether you’re a senior in college or fresh out of high school, keep an open mind and sense of humor.  You may end up living with someone who you never would have hung out with in high school, but you both might have a lot to offer one another. Someone may invite you to a concert with an artist you’ve never heard of, or to play ultimate Frisbee, or even go to knitting club meeting. Go ahead and go! You can discover tons of new interests in college or learn more about your own personal tastes.  Be sure to have fun, but don’t lose sight of that diploma!

It can be hard to know if you're being abused. You may think that your husband are boyfriend is allowed to make you have sex. That's not true. Forced sex is rape, no matter who does it. You may think that cruel or threatening words are not abuse. They are. And sometimes-emotional abuse is a sign that a person will become physically violent.