Archive for July, 2025

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Niche-ing New York City: Surrounding Yourself with Talent (Affordably!)

Monday, July 7th, 2025

One of the best ways to find and develop your own talent is to experience it. Living in New York City, talent surrounds us, envelops us, everywhere we go. It poses for pictures with fans just as it passes us unnoticed on the street; it exists at the top of the tallest skyscrapers and under our feet in basements and subway stations. It may be easy to miss, but it’s not hard to find when you look for it. Here are some accessible and affordable ways to surround yourself with talent in the city:

Student Rush/Lottery Broadway Tickets

My roommates and I after rushing tickets for Shucked. Only $40 for great seats!

Whether or not your niche is musical theatre, Broadway is a must-see experience for everyone – but not everyone can afford $200 tickets. Thankfully, many shows offer day-of rush tickets which, if you’re a student willing to wake up early and wait in line at the box office, can get you in for under $50. This rush schedule is a helpful tool to gauge the time and days you should get in line to secure those rush tickets. Similarly, there are online lotteries that you can enter to win tickets under $60 (including Hamilton, which offers $10 tickets – a steal!)

Script Readings

If you’re an aspiring actor, screenwriter, or playwright, script readings are a great way to experience a panel of actors and a new screenplay for free! Script Club NYC is a group that gathers for table reads at Roots Cafe every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., and writers have the chance to submit their new piece to be read in front of an audience at an upcoming Wednesday meeting! Similarly, The Drawing Board meets every 4th Monday and are taking applications for more actors, observers, and submissions.

Discounted and Free Museum Tickets

At the MoMA. Highly recommend!

Up-and-coming artists can only benefit from experiencing art up close and personal at some of the world’s most encompassing and renowned art museums – for cheap! The Metropolitan Museum of Art is pay-what-you-wish for all NYC residents, which includes out-of-state students of a NYC school. The Museum of Modern Art offers $17 student tickets every day of the week, but all New York State residents are eligible to reserve free tickets for Friday evenings from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The newly-reopened Frick Collection also offers $17 tickets to students, and pay-what-you-wish admission is offered every Wednesday from 2 to 6 p.m. NYC Tourism has a great guide to help you find more deals like these!

Free Summer Music and Dance Classes

Whether you’re a musician yourself, a dancer, an avid listener, or find your talent in niches like stage production and event management, the city’s parks are a great place to experience free music and dancing this summer! Parks across the boroughs are hosting huge artists like Grace Jones and Janelle Monáe, popular indie artists like mxmtoon, Still Woozy, and Men I Trust, and talented jazz bands like The Jimmy Heath Big Band and The Captain Black Big Band. You can also find DJ sets and dance workshops to live music. Secret NYC has an all-encompassing list of the lineup this summer!

As we’ve learned thus far in Niche-ing New York City, practicing your talent goes hand-in-hand with surrounding yourself with talents – those of your friends, your mentors, and complete strangers – and learning from those around you. Finding your niche can be difficult for a multitude of reasons: maybe you feel like you’re good at everything or you’re good at nothing, or maybe you simply haven’t heard of your talent yet, haven’t experienced it, examined it, felt a rush of adrenaline and goosebumps down your arms. In future articles, we’ll look at affordable ways to dive head-first into your talent and get your hands dirty, but for now, seeing the beauty and talent in the city around you is a great way to start!

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By Lauren Male

Lauren Male is a senior at Pace University majoring in English and Communications, with a minor in Journalism. She is pursuing Pace’s M.S. Publishing program. When she’s not reading, Lauren can be found trying new coffee shops, thrift shopping, and spending all of her money on concert tickets.

For over 25 years, the Campus Clipper has helped college students in New York City—and later in Boston and Philadelphia—save money and succeed in city life. We offer a digital coupon booklet with discounts on food, clothing, and services, plus an Official Student Guidebook with real advice on how to navigate college life in a big city. Our internship program lets students build skills, earn money, and publish their own e-books. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @CampusClipper, and sign up for our newsletter to get deals straight to your inbox. To access the digital coupons, scan the QR code on our printed card—available in dorms, student centers, and around campus.

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Dreamland Ch. 4: You are not a sellout, you are just 20 years old

Thursday, July 3rd, 2025

Every college student struggles with time management, with classes piling upon classes and the additional pressure to build your resume with clubs, jobs, internships. They say every hour of your day should be spent investing in the rest of your life, which leaves nanoseconds for fostering hobbies and interests. But over time, it gets easier. I’m surely not the first to say to you that you should allow yourself free time; that in itself is investment in your future. If you have it figured out, congratulations. 

I do not.

It’s not so much that I overbook my time or even procrastinate. More often than not, I frontload my work and finish all my smaller tasks before the weekend. I take pride in my work ethic when it comes to my academic life, but the remaining time is no man’s land, a space where a million obligations orbit and eclipse one another. When I’m writing, I think to myself that I should be applying to jobs. When I’m applying to jobs or generally lengthening my resume, I want to be writing because it feels more meaningful. I often end up doing neither, and the idleness at once comforts me and tugs at my skin.

This is only a dilemma because my brain compartmentalizes these two activities — writing books, and working toward a good resume — as not only different things but polar opposites. There is a solid rationale here. I’m not pursuing creative writing as my full-time career, which means I have to find other things I’m interested in that suit me. That’s what I suggest everyone does. However, I find myself also separating the pursuit of stability and the pursuit of fulfillment and creativity. 

I end up prioritizing quantity over quality. In many ways, this works. You should apply to and try out as many things as possible to find what you like. But sometimes this habit decays into an ingrained psychology where what I’m interested in does not matter. Anything will do, as long as I am doing it.

Content warning: job application. Image Credit: https://www.verstela.com/blog/tips-to-get-your-job-application-noticed/

In practice, I haven’t done anything that I absolutely despise. Not yet, at least. But no matter what I do, I feel that I should be doing more, something better, something that plants a direct line to six figures by my mid-twenties. I don’t actually care that much about money, but that lack of care itself is a huge privilege that I might someday lose. Rent is so expensive everywhere, entry-level positions require master’s degrees, eggs are a million dollars, and I still haven’t made time to write today.

The more I spiral, the sillier and guiltier I feel worrying about problems that I created. Isn’t it so terrible that I can’t manage my time at a prestigious university because I get insecure sometimes? There’s no “but” here. It really is just silly. What I’m trying to say is that I don’t want to waste the amazing opportunities I’ve had by making no solid, practical plans for a job, but I also don’t want to waste my capacity to care about things outside of these plans. 

Like me, you may be a natural creative and plan to pursue something adjacent to that passion (or entirely separate from that passion, even) with your creative outlet on the side. Like me, you may not know which you should focus on at any given time, because each is unfulfilling in its own way, emotionally or financially. The best advice I can give you is to avoid thinking of your creative passion as lesser or smaller and instead let it run parallel to your practical pursuits.

I’m sort of stating the obvious here, I know, but it’s very easy to abandon parts of yourself when you grow up, and that abandonment begins in your formative years. In between classes and other obligations, you should be making time to tend to your lifelong dreams, even if they end up having nothing to do with your career. Don’t treat them as a waste, and don’t even treat them as a hobby. Treat them as sustenance, the very essence of you. 

And if you want some even better advice, make a schedule for each week. Life-changing.

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By Oshmi Ghosh

Oshmi Ghosh is a rising junior at NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English with minors in Creative Writing, History, and Entertainment Business. You can usually find her appreciating the simple things in life: tea with milk and sugar, a good book, and/or intensely competitive board games.

For over 25 years, the Campus Clipper has helped college students in New York City—and later in Boston and Philadelphia—save money and succeed in city life. We offer a digital coupon booklet with discounts on food, clothing, and services, plus an Official Student Guidebook with real advice on how to navigate college life in a big city. Our internship program lets students build skills, earn money, and publish their own e-books. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @CampusClipper, and sign up for our newsletter to get deals straight to your inbox. To access the digital coupons, scan the QR code on our printed card—available in dorms, student centers, and around campus.

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Chapter 4: Another Kind of Growing

Thursday, July 3rd, 2025
Lunch with family on a random Sunday

Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision to stay home for college. Honestly, I kind of regret it sometimes. I chose to stay because I wanted to be there for my parents. Coming from an immigrant family, I felt this responsibility, like my presence might make things easier for them, like I owed them that much after everything they had sacrificed. 

At first, it felt like the right choice. My parents were happy I stayed, and there was a kind of comfort in being home.  It felt easier in a way. I got to stay in my room, sleep in my bed, have my own routine, and just be the old me. I also liked being around if they needed help with something, like paperwork or errands, or even just to sit and talk. It felt like I was doing the right thing, for them and myself.

Over time, things started to feel different. Staying close meant I was there for everything. Not just the warm family dinners or quick chats in the kitchen, but also the tension, the arguments, the quiet disappointments. I don’t know exactly when it shifted, but once college started and I settled into my routine, I began noticing things I hadn’t before. The closer I stayed, the more clearly I saw them. Not just as my parents, but as people. I started seeing the cracks in how they speak, how they handle stress, how they show love, and how they fail every day.

The more I see, the more I want to run. Not because I don’t love them, but because I know them too well. 

Sometimes, I regret that I’m not growing the way others are. My friends who live on campus talk about doing their laundry at midnight, cooking instant noodles together, and pulling all-nighters in the library. They tell stories about navigating awkward roommate situations, learning how to budget, arguing with friends, and fixing it on their own. They’re learning how to be adults. 

I, on the other hand, come home to food that’s already made. I don’t worry about whether the laundry machine is available or if the communal bathroom is clean. I’m still someone’s child in this house, not quite my own person. And when I fight with a friend, I don’t go knock on their door two floors down and talk it out at 2 a.m. I just sit with it. Alone. 

There are times I want to tell my friends I made this choice for a reason. I stayed to help my parents, to be present, to save money. But still, I feel like I’m not becoming the version of myself I thought I’d be by now. I want to say all of this out loud, but I don’t.

Instead, I nod along when they talk about dorm drama and late-night adventures, even though I can’t relate. I laugh when they joke about bad dining hall food while I’m washing dishes at home. I say I’m doing great, even when I’m not sure what I’m doing at all. It’s easier that way. Less explaining. Less chance they’ll look at me with that mix of pity and confusion, like I’ve missed out on something I’m supposed to want.

And maybe I have. But I’ve also gained something they haven’t.

I’ve learned how to be there for people, even when it’s hard. I’ve learned how to show up every day—not just when I feel like it, but because someone depends on me. I’ve learned how to be still. How to be grounded when everything feels uncertain. Living at home hasn’t just kept me close to my family, it’s brought me closer to myself. I’ve noticed how my mom sighs differently when she’s tired versus when she’s disappointed. I’ve memorized the quiet routines that make this house function, the invisible labor that held my childhood together. I’ve gained the kind of strength that doesn’t announce itself. The kind that comes from choosing the hard thing, over and over, without anyone clapping for you. The kind that builds slowly, through early mornings, through uncomfortable silence, through the ache of watching life happen elsewhere.

It’s not loud. It’s not charming. But it’s mine. And one day, I think I’ll look back and realize this was a version of becoming, too. Just not the one I expected.

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By Marzia Seemat

Marzia Seemat is a sophomore at NYU studying civil engineering and creative writing. She loves being close to nature, especially at the beach. Her favorite things include good food, morning tea, hour-long movies, and spending time with the people she loves.

For over 25 years, the Campus Clipper has helped college students in New York City—and later in Boston and Philadelphia—save money and succeed in city life. We offer a digital coupon booklet with discounts on food, clothing, and services, plus an Official Student Guidebook with real advice on how to navigate college life in a big city. Our internship program lets students build skills, earn money, and publish their own e-books. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @CampusClipper, and sign up for our newsletter to get deals straight to your inbox. To access the digital coupons, scan the QR code on our printed card, available in dorms, student centers, and around campus.

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Crash Course Connections Ch. 4: Can Men and Women Be Just Friends?

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025

“Men and women can never be just friends.” It’s a message we’ve heard time and time again from pop culture. From the classic will-they-won’t-they dynamic of When Harry Met Sally to the heartbreak in My Best Friend’s Wedding, the suggestion is clear: platonic relationships between men and women are rare, unstable, or inevitably romantic, unless one is gay or already taken (and even that isn’t a guarantee).

Since I didn’t have male friends in high school, I decided to test this theory when I came to college. What I found was far more nuanced than Hollywood would have us believe.

As children, gender doesn’t matter much in friendships. Sure, some of us have “kindergarten boyfriends” or giggle over crushes, but there’s no real romantic intent. That all begins to change when puberty starts. Suddenly, there’s an invisible pressure surrounding every boy-girl interaction, especially if physical attraction is involved. Even when there’s no chemistry, platonic intimacy between men and women often carries social baggage. People expect something more. And that expectation complicates things.

Despite this, I believe men and women can be friends—even when there is or was attraction involved. Over my time in college, I’ve had both successful and failed friendships with men. The determining factor in every case has been maturity. Mutual respect, emotional self-awareness, and clear communication are essential. There’s no one-size-fits-all rule, because you can only control your own behavior, not how the other person feels or acts.

Man and woman signifying strictly platonic relationship https://qleanmarket.amanaimages.com/items

One of my first close male friends in college was Jack. We met in class and kept running into each other until casual conversations turned into a solid friendship. We had similar upbringings and a shared sense of humor. At first, I wasn’t sure how to navigate the friendship, and I wondered if he had ulterior motives or if I might be attracted to him. But over time, I realized we could genuinely enjoy each other’s company without anything romantic.

Jack became part of my friend group, and we even went on a group trip together that summer. But by junior year, tensions between him and others in our group escalated. Eventually, I was the only remaining tie between Jack and the rest of our circle.

I was torn. The conflict didn’t involve me directly, but I couldn’t ignore the emotional toll it was taking. I care deeply for my friends, and when they’re hurt or disrespected, I feel it too. Ultimately, I decided to create some distance between Jack and myself. That space brought clarity and peace. It’s important to recognize when a relationship is no longer mutual and nourishing (platonic or otherwise). You’re allowed to step away from connections that drain you.

Jack was my first real example of what platonic love between a man and a woman could look like. That experience helped me build fulfilling friendships later, like with Tyler, a barista I see regularly, and Brian, another friend from school.

Attraction can complicate things, but it doesn’t have to destroy the possibility of friendship. Sometimes it leads to a romantic relationship; other times, it fades or exists unreciprocated. If you sense romantic tension—yours or theirs—addressing it honestly is usually the healthiest path forward. It can be risky, especially if you have strong feelings, but clarity is better than emotional limbo. If your feelings are mild or unclear, it may be best to focus elsewhere and pay attention to how they interact with you.

If the other person is in a committed relationship, respecting that boundary is crucial. True friendship cannot thrive if it undermines someone else’s partnership.

In the end, friendships between men and women are possible, but they require maturity, honesty, and emotional intelligence from both parties. And like any meaningful relationship, they’re worth the effort.

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By Logan O’Connor

Logan is a rising senior at NYU pursuing degrees in Journalism and Politics. She grew up on Long Island, but always dreamed of living in New York City. When she’s not in class or at her favorite local cafe, you can find her wandering the city (film camera in hand) or baking up a storm in her kitchen.

For over 25 years, the Campus Clipper has helped college students in New York City—and later in Boston and Philadelphia—save money and succeed in city life. We offer a digital coupon booklet with discounts on food, clothing, and services, plus an Official Student Guidebook with real advice on how to navigate college life in a big city. Our internship program lets students build skills, earn money, and publish their own e-books. Follow us on Instagram andTikTok @CampusClipper, and sign up for ournewsletter to get deals straight to your inbox. To access the digital coupons, scan the QR code on our printed card—available in dorms, student centers, and around campus.
As always, let me know if you have any questions!

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Strengthening Human Connections

Tuesday, July 1st, 2025

College is filled with people, even on the smallest campuses it is impossible to take a walk without passing a professor or student on your way to the cafeteria. Forming human connections is one of the greatest benefits of attending college because there is such a vast variety of personalities to meet and learn from.

I go to college at Pace University in New York, but I have met people from all over. My freshman year suitemate was from California, my sophomore year roommate is from Colorado, and one of my friends is all the way from Sweden. I met a girl from the UK, a girl from Italy, and I even know of a professor from Russia. Meeting people from all over the country, let alone the globe, I have learned about many different ways of life in contrast to my own. 

Thinking back, my mindset during my freshman year was very closed. I was open to forming bonds with new people, but I was hesitant to adapt and accept other opinions or perspectives that differed from my own. It took time, but throughout the course of my freshman and sophomore years I began to find the value in learning from others. My Swedish friend, for example, taught me how to be an effective listener. I had always had a lot of confidence in my own listening skills, but once I talked to her I realized that my skills could use improvement. She was always physically attentive and maintained consistent eye contact while I talked. She gave relevant responses and questions that emphasized her engagement. My roommate from Colorado taught me the importance of living life loosely. I remember feeling very rigid in my routine when I first started school, but he taught me to live freer and enjoy smaller things. I have many meaningful memories of the two of us laughing hysterically over the simplest things as we walked to class. Even though the things we laughed about were simple, I don’t remember finding things as funny before he taught me to live the way that he did. My freshman year suitemate from California taught me how to be kinder than I already was. We had many conversations about injustices and the way that people were mistreated and it really helped me to gain a deeper appreciation and compassion for others. I played a part in this dynamic too. I, like my friends, contributed to the college social sphere of growth and development, offering and imparting my own talents and skills to my friends.

Three of my good friends at the 9/11 Memorial.

I never expected to learn so much from the people around me. I always did my best to listen to my friends and be the best possible friend that I could, but I never realized how much I could learn from their words and stories. In many ways, the lessons and messages that I have gotten from friends have impacted me far deeper than any of the coursework I have read throughout my time in school. There are certain things that texts simply cannot convey as powerfully as real human connections can. 

The Andy Griffith Show

One of the most purposeful elements that has impacted my sociality has been The Andy Griffith Show. A friend of mine from back home had introduced me to the show a while back and while I was looking for a new show to watch at college, I came across his recommendation. The show follows a widowed sheriff, Andy Taylor, and his adventures within a close knit community in small town Mayberry, North Carolina. The show is very wholesome and many of the interactions between the characters are very genuine and compassionate. I watched about six seasons of it throughout my first two years at college and it informed a great deal of my social decisions and values. The characters make many mistakes throughout the show: losing their tempers and hurting the people close to them, acting on their irrational fears as well as gossiping behind each other’s backs. The Andy Griffith Show teaches forgiveness. Despite the imperfections of each character, everybody remains close with one another, remaining united and connected. The close-knit community of fictional Mayberry remains so intact on account of the community’s persistence and faith in each other. 

None of the people I have met at college have been perfect. The people I have grown to love and care for at college have made mistakes, including myself. These mistakes were often rare and with no ill intentions, making it easy to forgive and forget. This is not always the case, however. Sometimes people will consistently make decisions that will negatively affect others and it can be hard to forgive someone who does not make an effort to change their harmful behavior. 

Human relationships can be very complicated and it can be challenging to find the right people. The idea of meeting so many new people can be intimidating, but it can serve as a significant learning opportunity for students. These human connections can help people grow and branch out; college serves as a great space for strengthening bonds with others. 

Discounted burgers with coupon and Student ID.

By Ryder Huseby

Ryder is going into his Junior year as a Writing and Rhetoric major at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York. Ryder is a passionate reader and enjoys going to the movie theater as often as he can.

For over 25 years, the Campus Clipper has helped college students in New York City—and later in Boston and Philadelphia—save money and succeed in city life. We offer a digital coupon booklet with discounts on food, clothing, and services, plus an Official Student Guidebook with real advice on how to navigate college life in a big city. Our internship program lets students build skills, earn money, and publish their own e-books. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @CampusClipper, and sign up for our newsletter to get deals straight to your inbox. To access the digital coupons, scan the QR code on our printed card—available in dorms, student centers, and around campus.

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How to Attend the Met Gala (Sort of)

Tuesday, July 1st, 2025

Let’s get one thing straight: I have not been invited to the Met Gala, (yet). But I have attended in my own way and it has been unforgettable.

For anyone unfamiliar, the Met Gala is New York’s most exclusive red carpet event, held annually on the first Monday in May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s where celebrities, designers, and cultural icons come dressed in high fashion (and often high drama) according to a theme curated by Anna Wintour, the former editor-in-chief of  Vogue. Official tickets reportedly cost tens of thousands of dollars, and even some A-listers don’t make the cut. So what’s a college student with a love for fashion, fame, and fun to do?

The simple solution is this: get creative and be bold.

The real magic of the Met Gala actually starts long before anyone steps foot onto that iconic staircase. Every year, dozens of celebrities get ready for the event at a handful of hotels near the Upper East Side. The two best-known hotspots? The Mark and The Carlyle. The Carlyle is my personal favorite. It’s a little more tucked away, less chaotic, and still delivers absolute fashion royalty.

Every year, a ton of fans wait outside The Met itself, eager to get a peek at the red carpet. However, with the massive tent setup, heavy security, and crowds of paparazzi, it’s nearly impossible to catch any real action, even if you manage to snag a spot right at the front of the barricade across the street. This is why I love visiting the hotels. I’ve made a tradition of heading to The Carlyle the past two years, and if you time it right, you’ll be that much closer to the action. My Met Gala strategy doesn’t involve barricades or elbowing into crowds. It’s about patience, timing, and good walking shoes.

I recommend heading to the general area of the Met Gala around 9–10 PM. While many streets will be blocked off, you can usually get fairly close to The Carlyle on 76th Street. Now, I’m not saying to push back against security or ignore barricades — definitely don’t do that — but I do suggest politely hanging around nearby. If you’re persistent and respectful, you’ll often find that eventually you’re allowed to stand surprisingly close to the hotel entrance.

I’ve seen everyone from Chris Hemsworth to Kendall Jenner step out of their SUVs after the Met Gala, heading inside The Carlyle to change into their iconic after-party looks. Seeing these showstopping outfits up close feels like watching your own private runway show and it’s absolutely mesmerizing. The vibe around the hotel is usually much calmer than the red carpet chaos, which means celebrities are often more relaxed and more likely to interact with fans.

Chris Hemsworth! I can vouch that he looks like a real God.
Sydney Sweeney and the true star of the Met Gala, her dog.

It’s important to say this: there’s a difference between being a fan and being intrusive. I always stay on the opposite sidewalk, don’t push to the front, and never follow anyone beyond that single moment. This isn’t about chasing celebrities, it’s about appreciating the rare, electric thrill of sharing space with a moment in pop culture.

So no, I haven’t walked the Met Gala carpet. I haven’t posed under the massive tent or climbed those steps in custom couture. But I’ve felt the buzz, seen the stars, and even caught a few waves and smiles. And in New York? That’s close enough to feel like you’re part of the story.

The next time the first Monday in May rolls around, don’t scroll through Vogue’s red carpet slideshow from your dorm. Throw on a comfortable outfit, grab a friend, and head uptown. Your Met Gala moment is waiting with no invite required.

Get your hair done, Met Gala Style! Use this student coupon for 20% off! 

By: Skylar Park 

Skylar Park is a Film & TV student at NYU with a passion for storytelling and city adventures. When she’s not writing or filming, you can find her running by the East River or hunting down the coziest bookstores in New York City.

For over 25 years, the Campus Clipper has helped college students in New York City—and later in Boston and Philadelphia—save money and succeed in city life. We offer a digital coupon booklet with discounts on food, clothing, and services, plus an Official Student Guidebook with real advice on how to navigate college life in a big city. Our internship program lets students build skills, earn money, and publish their own e-books. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @CampusClipper, and sign up for our newsletter to get deals straight to your inbox. To access the digital coupons, scan the QR code on our printed card—available in dorms, student centers, and around campus.

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Healing Isn’t Linear

Tuesday, July 1st, 2025

It is in our human nature to believe that you can do everything on your own. In college, there is an unspoken pressure to keep your life in order and maintain the “picture perfect” college image, even when you’re falling apart mentally and emotionally. My depression and anxiety have become a part of my daily life and have intertwined with my college experience in a negative way. Although I have found multiple ways of coping with my mental health, including coloring and doing puzzles, I have found that therapy has really helped me with the demands that come with college. 

I started to entertain the idea of taking therapy when I realized that it isn’t just for people with extreme trauma or people who have deep emotional scarring from their experiences. I didn’t realize that it was a useful tool that everyone could use to feel better about themselves in any setting. When I signed up for therapy, I didn’t know what to expect. I was nervous I’d be judged or that nothing would come of it. I was also concerned because I was getting a male therapist instead of a female, which made me wonder if I could be more personal with a man.

When I reflect on my time spent in therapy, I love that I am speaking the truth without judgment and that my therapist listened without interrupting. My therapist asked thoughtful and thorough questions that helped both him and me understand why I was feeling the way that I was and how we can take those feelings and turn them into a positive instead of a negative. I also loved that his mentally wasn’t to “fix me” but to help me feel better so that I was able to make my life feel more manageable, allowing me to continue my daily responsibilities.

A college student benefiting from therapy. Image credit: https://charleston.edu/counseling/index.php

In hindsight, therapy hasn’t “cured” me. It has been an important tool to help identify the triggers. It helps me with what my therapist calls my “inner critic”. The biggest takeaways that therapy has taught me is that you are not your thoughts. Even though your mind says something that has a negative connotation to it, that doesn’t make it true. Therapy has helped me challenge those thoughts with evidence of the good things that I have done. I also have learned that coping skills are important. Whether it’s using breathing techniques or writing things down, or in my case, doing puzzles and coloring, simple tools go a long way in important your mental health. The most important takeaway is that healing isn’t linear. Some days you’ll feel amazing and other days you’ll feel like you’re back at square one. Progress isn’t a straight line, and it’s important to recognize that there will be good days and bad days and that’s okay.

Therapy is not weakness, it’s strength. It’s one of the most powerful forms of self-care I’ve ever invested in, and if it’s accessible to you, I encourage you to give it a try. I know in some situations it may feel like a “last resort” but anyone can benefit from it. Most colleges offer free or low-cost counseling services for students. Start with one session and go from there. You don’t have to commit to forever, so just commit to showing up, because the truth is, taking care of your mind supports every part of your life. Your wellness. Your fitness. Your relationships. Your academics. You don’t have to carry the weight of college, or life by yourself. There is help. There is hope. And you are worthy of both.

Although therapy can benefit your mental health, other ways include sitting down at a spa and relaxing. Get 10% off at Spa Joie using your student I.D.

By: Yamilia Ford

Yamilia Ford is a rising senior at Pace University with a major in business management and three minors in journalism, creative writing, and film studies. Her passion for writing allows her to inspire through her own creative lens, giving people the opportunity to relate to her.

For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services. At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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