Men are very attached to their facial hair, crafting, shaping, and trimming their beards to fit a particular style. College is one of the best times to find one’s facial hair identity, as students are able to work with a full palette following puberty.

The problem, apparent on campus, is that many young men are not ready, nor are they fit to harness the power of their whiskers. The safe route is to always be clean shaven, especially if someone has  any upcoming job interviews that aren’t at Starbucks or a bike shop.

The next safe facial hairstyling for the job interview type is the moustache; however, it is also the least safe in terms of one’s social life. If someone is ready to shake things up with their girlfriend, friends, co-workers and peers, the moustache is a power move that will certainly cause a stir. There are extra points for not grooming the stache in the first few weeks. This will add character to the upper lip. It is important to remember that the moustache may not get approval from some, or even most, of one’s peers and co-workers. However, the “stache” doesn’t seek approval from anyone — its only requirement is that you wear it like a badge. If you are not adept at handling the shock and awe or if grooming and trimming it after a few weeks seems like too much, then this is not the right move.

Don’t discount the goatee. There are many stylings that can come with a goatee, which means you can tinker around and have fun with it. A well groomed and trimmed goatee will give you a professional look, but can come off as bland. This is a good staple for someone who wants to create or show off their jaw definition. For someone with less definition, the best way to handle this would be to make the cut of the goatee straight and line it up so that it doesn’t touch your double chin or neck.

Next is the beard — one of the most dependable go-to facial hair routes for inexperienced shavers. The level of beard may affect one’s attitude subconsciously. The shortest beard is the short shadow stubble, also known as the Lenny Kravitz. This works really well as a college student because you get away with just trimming your beard, which is easier than shaving. You may find yourself acting cockier than you would have before the Lenny Kravitz. On top of this, the five o’clock shadow often adds an untrustworthy element to your look. If you are not ready to overcome any prejudice, then this facial ‘do may not be right. However, keep growing the beard and the little stubbles of “untrustworthy” hairs will sprout into strands of wisdom. A beard is a lot of work to maintain while risking the appearance of someone who does no work.

A few years from now, you may remember the time you aced a Statistics final, sitting on the front lawn enjoying the GCC weather, an awesome professor, or you may recall that awesome moustache you had in community college.