Have you ever walked passed another student and thought something to yourself? It could have been a good thought but let’s face it, it probably wasn’t. Maybe you’re sitting in class while a group are doing a presentation. Something about a student’s appearance makes you dislike them. It’s okay though because you have your preference, right? Wrong. There are a lot of bad habits we can have as students. The way and what we think is a very important one that we must learn to control.

We use a lot of our thinking abilities for assignments, social time and planning journeys back home. How often do we consider how we think about other students? There are a lot of different people here at Laurier Brantford. Some of whom were born here and born outside Canada. University is an institution that enrolls “smart students” and sort of just throws them together. They become this big crowd of random people from all over the world. If we’re to be honest, we all probably wouldn’t choose to be around one another had it been up to us.

I believe that is one of the greatest things about university. We have the opportunity to learn about people, as well as learn about our desired profession. I’ve come across a lot of students saying nasty and scornful things behind other students’ backs. I think to myself “what if they heard what that student said?” I think a lot of students have a habit of thinking the wrong thoughts around campus. “We’re better than these people. We don’t need to be nice to them. We’re just here to get a degree!” This is a typical way to think. I am not making an assumption about all students; I’m just going off of a track record of what I and several others have experienced in university. We hear a lot of incidents involving students being racist, prejudice and just plain rude around campus all the time. A lot of these things come from our thoughts. We have to change the way we think about others and ourselves.

We have all come from different backgrounds and upbringings. However, this doesn’t mean we can’t come to university and be open-minded about things. You may come from a religious family that was taught to isolate yourselves from others who don’t share the same religion as you. Maybe your family taught you that visible minorities are of less value than you are. As part of the majority in university, it is very easy to assume ignorant things about visible minorities. I suggest you find a healthier way of thinking. There is no difference between us whether we are coloured, gay or suffer from a disability. Let’s learn to look at each other as equal. You ought to leave university as a graduate that understands people better.