Authentic Orange

Submitted by Geoffrey Bishop

Congrats! You graduated High School and are now on your way to Oregon State University. I can assure you that you have made the right choice of schools in the State of Oregon! Before you get Corvallis, I’d like to give you a few pointers on how to “Be Orange!” We want you to be as authentic as you can and this intro to OSU will help you do that!

You might be asking yourself, “What does it mean to authentically Be Orange?” Authenticity, simply put, is truth. Truth has been said to be “A mobile army of metaphors, metonyms, and anthropomorphisms” (Nietszche, Truth and Lie in an Extra-Moral Sense). The act of being true to one’s own self defines an authentic person. So, the easiest way to be “authentic” is to be you. Oregon State is a great place to find out who you are by exploring the many options and experiences of this great University.

“Be Orange” is not a demand but a way of life. Here at Oregon State, we tell ourselves that we “Bleed Orange”. So, if we substitute the word “orange” with yourself, the term “Be Orange” becomes “Be Yourself”. Some tips are as follows:

Tip One: Do what you enjoy. This is your life and you have to make the shots! However, you may have to change and follow at times so you can live in society. For some of you, college may have been expected, while others, they might be the first in their family to attend Higher Education. Either way, as our society evolves, so do the standards of living, asking for more people to attend college.

Tip Two: Make new friends! Oregon State University is one of the friendliest places and everyone is just waiting to be your friend. While making new friends, try and find some that like you for you. Always remember that it’s ok for yourself and someone else to be independent. “Do what you must, come what may.” (The Ethics of Ambiguity, Simone de Beauvoir 1947.) It’s the idea of “You get what you put in”. If you want to hang out with 20 people at all times, that’s fine! And if you want to hang out by yourself, that’s perfect to! It’s all about doing what makes you happy.

Tip Three: This is your life, and you are the main character! Everything you do can have two sides or outlooks. Think about the Myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus was required to roll a rock up a mountain only to have it roll back down, making him roll it back up again. However, Sisyphus believed he controlled the outcome because if he let go of the rock, it would roll back down and if he kept going; he would make it to the top one again. If you approach a task as a punishment, you’ll have a horrible time and it will be a punishment. But, if you approach it with the idea that you are in control of the outcome; you will be more proud of the finished product.

            As we look back as these few tips about being yourself, we see a trend. You are the driver of your own life. You have to be in control and allow yourself to be ok with the outcomes of life because they are the consequences of your own actions. I hope this will help you transition into a new school! Good Luck!