Lily Huynh/The Cougar
Hi! Welcome to the first issue of April’s Angle of the 2026-27 academic year. I’m April, a political science and psychology junior. In this column, I share my thoughts and experiences on everything from fashion and beauty to college life and beyond. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to reach out! I’m here to help.
Everyone knows that there’s a fine line between college being the best years of your life, to being the absolute worst. This is heavily because college has a funny way of making everything feel serious— grades, networking, the feeling of impending doom at the thought of not figuring life out.
But somewhere between the deadlines and responsibilities, don’t forget to be you, romanticize the ordinary, try things just because they sound fun and get excited about little wins.
Maintaining your whimsy in college means being spontaneous, there is no better place to exercise your free will than college. Go on those random walks, dress up for spirit days and take a moment to recognize and enjoy the little things. Becoming an adult doesn’t mean losing your playful spirit or forgetting how to have fun!
As a self appointed whimsy maximizer, I’ve collected a list of my most whimsical activities and the joy they’ve added to my life! If you need any help visualizing this, check out my Pinterest @aprilbutunfiltered I’ve curated a board to help you chase your whimsical dreams!
To start off the list I have to talk about the importance of hobbies, to know me is to know I’m a serial hobby hopper. My current and favorite hobby is vinyl record collecting and playing. Over the summer I purchased a professional record player and I’ve been loving the process of learning how to use it.
This hobby is part of my mission to collect physical media. I have a sizable collection of novels and encyclopedias that I can always turn to when I need to connect with something more tangible than fleeting words on a screen.
I truly think this adds so much whimsy to my life, who doesn’t love knowing random facts about things like records or world history? Some hobbies that are on my list to conquer include interior designing, pottery, knitting and making ice cream from scratch!
Another thing I do to amp up the whim is talking. This can seem so obvious because everyone talks right? But no, it’s not just talking. I pride myself on being a conversationalist, talking your way around a room is a skill that comes in handy, especially in college.
Talking involves more than just listening and responding, being eloquent and unapologetically yourself goes so far especially in spaces where most conversations feel repetitive and frankly, boring. Speak to people like you already know them, like there’s knowledge to be gathered from them and knowledge to give to them, speak with confidence and certainty in your words. This will make those mundane conversations feel so rewarding.
We can’t discuss whimsy without highlighting how much fun it is to do all these activities with friends. I have some of the most whimsical friends who do things like carry around bubble solution when we go out, or document every moment on a digital camera and my favorite, scrapbooking memories at the end of the year. As little as these acts seem, they bring a fun light to every situation and make college enjoyable.
news@thedailycougar.com
