What’s Your Hashtag to Describe Yourself? The USC’s Infamous Fun Section

What’s your hashtag to describe yourself? A question that is so relevant to all young people (and yes, I’m talking about you, who spend at least 3 hours a day on Instagram or Facebook, or probably both) and yet, for some reason, so scary for many applicants.

But should it be? Of course not! Here I’ll give you some tips and hopefully after reading this, you’ll feel much more confident about your answer.

The Perfect Formula (Not Really)

Let’s start with the question everybody asks: ‘What do they want to hear?!’ WRONG! If your idea of the perfect answer is to magically write what you think they want to hear, you won’t get too far before realizing that’s not a good strategy. In fact, it’s the worst strategy you can choose!

There are NO RIGHT or WRONG answers. There are foreseeable and boring ones, and answers that come from the heart and are personal.

So, here’s my advice to students who need some help with this question:

Try to find a hashtag that reflects your actual personality. Just don’t make it too long. Otherwise, no one will want to read it.
Be creative. ‘Sure…’, you’ll say. But really — you will never stand out if you’re not interesting to the reader. Brainstorm at least five hashtag ideas and pick your favorite one. Ask your friends for help — a fresh pair of eyes is always useful.
Inspire yourself to get in a good mood. There is no better way to reveal your amazing personality than being in a good mood. Think about your favorite movie, song, artist, etc. Nine out of ten times they will bring back a nice memory or feeling, so feel free to draw inspiration from that!