I will be the first person to admit that on my way to class, I am usually busy thinking about what I have going on for the rest of the day, if I finished my homework, or if I am going to be late.

Other days I am busy just trying to stay awake and make it to all of my classes without any major difficulties. I am usually oblivious to what is going on around me.

On the days that I do actually look at the people passing me on the sidewalk, I see people that I recognize and people who I haven’t ever seen before. As much as I hate to admit it, I start to form an opinion of these people that is based on just what I can see.

I, like nearly everyone else, have the tendency to judge people on their outside appearance first, with little consideration of any other aspects of their personalities. As I pass people on the sidewalk, I see men and women; blacks, whites and Asians. I see the young, the old, the thin and the overweight. I see the athletic and the uncoordinated. I make judgments, conscious or unconscious, based on these first impressions.

These judgments are made on the basis of past experiences, family and friends, education and personal beliefs. We are also influenced by the stereotypes that we have become accustomed to growing up in small towns or large cities.

These stereotypes vary from individual to individual, but they are reinforced everyday in what we read, in what we hear and in what we see on television and in the movies.

Turning on the television set at about any hour of the day, you can find a show just filled with stereotypical characters. If you still tune in to “Friends” on Thursday night, you get to watch thirty minutes filled with the escapades of Phoebe, the spacey blond, and Rachel, the classic spoiled little rich girl.

We are drawn to this type of programming because besides being entertaining, it doesn’t take too much thought. We don’t have to adapt out personal beliefs to encompass characters that are different from the stereotypes that we have been exposed to all of our lives. More often than not, these stereotypes are biased and offensive.

If a person were to read the biographical information about me that is printed with my column and relied only on the standard stereotypes, the picture they would form of me might be right in some areas, but overall would not be accurate.

As a woman, many stereotypes are constantly applied to be. More women are entering the workforce now than ever before, and making large contributions in every area of our society today, but women are still looked upon as being less capable and weaker.

As a sophomore, many people assume that I still have a lot to learn (which I will be the first to admit is true), or that I don’t know what I am talking about.

I have recently read all of the quick Es regarding the superiority of the engineering college over the college of liberal arts and sciences and vice versa, so some people might be quick to assume that because I am an English major that I am not as intelligent as the average math or science major.

Finally, having grown up in a small Midwestern town might lead some people to believe that I am simple, honest — the salt of the earth. Others might assume that I grew up on a farm, or that I am undereducated, or that I spend all my free time going cow-tipping.

Most people would not want to be judged by just their sex, year, major and hometown, and it is even more frightening to think about the conclusions that people draw merely based on outside appearance. Everybody wants to believe that outside appearance really doesn’t influence their opinions of others, but it is nearly impossible to completely rid ourselves of this factor.

We often turn to the hurtful stereotypes that are so prevalent in our society because we are too lazy to actually take the time to get to know another person. We are quick to surround ourselves with people that we have grown up with, and people that are similar to ourselves.

To get rid of these stereotypes, we need to realize that no one fits perfectly into these categories, and realize that we are the ones who are missing out if we fail to look beyond the exterior to discover what lies beneath.

Laura Luiken is a sophomore in English from Webster City.