I am sure there isn’t anyone who hasn’t heard the song “Gangnam Style” at least once this summer. Whether you’ve been walking down the streets, having a conversation with friends, or watching television, you would have inevitably run into someone or something mentioning the song.

The song “Gangnam Style” is sung by Korean pop singer Psy, who sings about the lifestyles of people who live in Gangnam. The music video amusingly shows Psy doing his cowboy dance while performing unthought-of actions and movements. Most people just like the song and the music video because of its catchy tune and humorous visuals but I believe there’s a deeper meaning to the song itself. 

Psy tells us that he has a style: Gangnam style, to be exact. He shows us that he isn’t ashamed of this style that he follows and more importantly he shows that he’s enjoying his style.

As students get ready to hit the books again this fall semester, we should not only use this time to polish up our resumes and speculations but our own personal styles as well.

College is an important time in anyone’s life. It is a time when we learn to be more independent and discover the responsibilities of freedom. It’s also a time when we have our heads high in our studies, internships, part-time jobs and club activities. We’re usually so focused on getting the best grades and working on getting the best qualifications for future jobs that we end up missing out on some of the greatest experiences.

As we try to refine our cover letters and speculations for the outside world we end up losing a part of ourselves. Have you ever stood back for a moment from your busy life and thought about the kind of lifestyle you’re currently living? Is it really you? Do you really want to continue overworking yourself for more years to come? When was the last time you had an enjoyable time to yourself?

To put it simply, being a workaholic student clashes your sense of style. As we struggle to keep up with the expectations of society we taint our own personal styles. So how can we work on improving our own styles?

We can take some time to experiment. Find out what we like to do, hate to do. Find our passions. Experience things from outside your comfort zone. Test to see where your limitations lie and overcome them. Try new things. Find out who you are. What your identity is. It’s not too late.

Why now you ask? Honestly do you think you’ll find yourself doing all this once you get a full-time job after graduation? The time is now, so create a style that suits you.

Work on designing yourself to your satisfaction. Now Psy’s Gangnam style may not be the style for us, but let’s shape ourselves to what we find gratifying. 

By Carol Cho 

Carol Cho is a third-year business administration student at Ewha Womans University. This article was contributed to Ewha Voice, the English newspaper published by the university. ― Ed.