How do you get people to take you seriously?

How can I get people to take me seriously?

• I'm 18, and I feel as though I'm almost always treated like a child, and noone really takes me seriously or relies on me for anything. It's not as though I'm an idiot or have the mind of a child; I'm going to college now, and even when I was in high school I was at the top of my classes while taking quite difficult classes. It's not as though I act like a 14 year old or something either. I dress conservatively as opposed to exposing my body all over the place, and I try to dress and behave maturely. Despite all of this, though, I feel like noone takes me seriously. Help?

• Answer:

  Taking yourself seriously and speaking with conviction is a good start. Also, take on more responsibilities and show that you can not only handle it, but you can excel at it! Seeing is believing, as they say, so by showing, through actions and not words, that you are someone to be taken seriously, with adult responsibilities and someone is intelligent, then you will be taken seriously.