Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Don’t burn your bridges. No matter how tempting it is to take that lighter fluid and throw a match at it, nothing good comes from setting fire to relationships. More often than not, you can back away from any situation, not saying anything and remaining the bigger person. That way, you’ll be spared the uncomfortable job interview ten years later when that girl you hated freshman year is sitting across from you, resume in hand.
At a recent panel about the publishing industry, the advice to not burn your bridges came up more than a few times. Yes, it’s extremely important career-wise, as you never know where life will take you or what people will make out of themselves, but it’s also just a good piece of general advice. Sometimes questions will come up that Google doesn’t seem to have answers to, like where to go to rent a cart at Emerson (get on it, Google!) and you’ll remember that the kid you lived next door to freshman year used one mid-semester. Just by being friendly and kind, and never angrily banging on his door to shut up or turn the heat down, but rather sending a nice text or asking politely, you’ll be able to get that information you need in no time.
This can be applicable in other situations as well. People remember when you’re rude or when you spread rumors that weren’t so true. They’ll know if you gave their friend a dirty look in the DH or told their little to shut up in class, and these interactions will haunt you. They’ll come up if you join a club and try to get an E-board position, or rush an FSL org. The last thing you need is an excuse to keep you from achieving your goals, especially at such a competitive school and in competitive industries.
In terms of friends that have talked behind your back or roommates that have gone from normal to crazy in .1 second, holding your tongue is not easy, but it is necessary. Sure it feels great to yell back about what an inconsiderate bitch they are and how they did the exact same thing to you three months ago, but it’s called growing up and learning to be the bigger person. Drama ended with high school, unless you’re a theatre major, and in that case, save it for the stage, so learn to get over it. People will come and go, they’ll hurt your feelings and you’ll probably break down in the middle of the Max more than once, but you’ll know that you didn’t screw it up. That nothing in college will hurt your career down the line, and that you can reach out to that crazy roommate in ten years and inquire about the job opening she posted on the Emerson Mafia page without feeling like shit.