ZOE ROGERS / OPINION EDITOR

College is full of comparison. Sometimes, you can’t help but notice someone who has a better resume than you  or the classmate who always scores the highest on the test. Especially as undergraduates, we are extremely prone to overanalyzing our achievements and comparing them to others. Comparison is not the recipe for success. 

College can be a competitive environment, and there are numerous factors that go into college’s intense nature. Components such as academic performance, internship  experience and personal  talents are things that college students tend to compare with others. Success in college can be defined by achievement, and because of this, comparison can give you a false sense of failure when you’re doing just fine. This failure can be attributed to feeling that you haven’t achieved as much as another student. 

It’s natural to want to compare yourself to others in hopes of figuring out what that person has that you don’t and how that thing gives them a superior edge. But the truth is, you do not benefit from comparison. Comparison sheds light  on  the  qualities that you believe you lack in yourself. However, this causes you to fail to notice the positive aspects within you. While yes, you may be lacking specific attributes that another person has, you too have traits that others lack.

In college, we are in a time of development in our academic and professional careers. We are constantly trying to find opportunities and experiences that we could benefit from and, in some cases, even put on our resumes or LinkedIn profiles. This can create a competitive environment, especially here at USD, as many undergraduates share the same majors and post-grad aspirations.  

Constantly comparing your achievements  with  those of  your peers can lead to questioning your own worth. My friend  often  says to me  a  famous   quote   by  Mark Twain, a late American writer and humorist.

“Comparison is the thief of joy,” Twain once said. 

Different doesn’t always equal better.  

Photo courtesy of @vanesagiaconi/Unsplash

Comparing post-grad plans is an unproductive mindset, especially when those students are entering a different job market than you. Some jobs are in higher demand than others, and it will not do you any good to feel envy over the person who scored their dream job right out of college. 

 When you focus too much on what others have, you lose appreciation of  your   own   traits, causing you to believe that you are lacking in some way. I have caught myself on numerous occasions comparing myself to the academic performance of others or qualities that I see in someone that I can’t help but wish I was gifted with. Personally, I have always compared my public speaking skills to others in my class. Sometimes, this comparison makes me feel that the more I attempt to incorporate that student’s traits into my own speaking, the less confident in my performance I become. 

Comparison gets you nowhere; not  only is it damaging to your mental health, but it is an unproductive thought process. Mindful Health Solutions, a site that provides innovative health services, reported the impact that comparison can have on your mental health.

“Comparison is a harmful habit that has a significant emotional drain and can compromise your mental well-being,” the article stated. “Various research studies have shown a strong correlation between frequent comparison and heightened levels of depression and anxiety. This is especially common among young adults who are still forming their identities and are more responsive to societal pressures.”

However, some may argue that comparison can be seen as a way to better yourself. When you see attributes  in   someone  that you wish you had, you can begin working on yourself to achieve those qualities. For example, if you notice your classmate has a more extensive  resume  than  you,  you can  take  that   as  an  initiative  to  gain  more  internship  opportunities and broaden your experience. 

While this perspective may be true, constant comparison of yourself to others can be unhealthy. You end  up   spending   too  much  time noticing  the  qualities that everyone else has instead of appreciating your  skills and learning how to heighten them.  Comparing can only  point out areas of growth, it doesn’t  necessarily have to lead to automatic improvement. 

Everyone has their own strengths that are unique to them. Just because you don’t know what you want to do after college — and it feels like everyone else has it figured out — that doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of achieving great things in your future.  We have a natural  tendency to compare ourselves to others. But instead of allowing  that  mindset  to take over, stop  focusing on the attributes you believe you lack and start appreciating the qualities you have that differentiate you from others.

It’s natural to want to compare your academic performance to your classmates.

Photo courtesy of @nguyenhiep/Unsplash

The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of  The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.