Here is my advice to anyone heading to college or those who are there and still feeling a little lost (aren't we all?).
1. These are definitely going to be four of the best years of your life. Hang on to that.
2. It seems scary leaving home - leaving your family and friends and the room that you have lived in everyday for the past 18 years will be hard. And it will be terrifying. Don’t let the fear get in your way. Feel it, acknowledge it, but do not let it consume you.
3. Your friends from home will live lives completely separate from you. You won’t know the people in their stories or understand some things that may seem obvious to them. You probably won’t talk to your best friend everyday. You will make new friends at school too - people they don’t know with stories they do not understand. These new friendships will become as deep and true as those that you have with people you have known your whole life. And don’t worry - your relationships at home will pick up right where they left off.
4. Some nights you won’t want to go to bed and some nights you will want to sleep forever. Find a balance and don’t let one rule out the other. Life comes and goes in waves - don’t forget that when you are riding on top of one, or when you feel like you are drowning beneath one.
5. All-nighters are never as good of an idea as they seem at the time, but nonetheless necessary every now and then. Try to make them all-nighters with your friends rather than all-nighters with your textbooks.
6. The chicken nuggets and fries at Foco are bomb, but don’t eat them everyday. You will feel shitty. Save those for rewards or pick-me-ups (I indulge after exams and on off-days from basketball).
7. Getting out of bed for class at 8:45 will be hard. Do it. Splash some water on your face, run a brush through your hair, sling that backpack over your shoulder, and tough it out.
8. If you are contemplating studying for 30 more minutes or getting 30 extra minutes of sleep, put your books down. You are prepared. And if you aren’t, 30 minutes is not going to fix that.
9. Use the resources around you. Tutors are helpful. The librarians know (basically) everything. Textbooks are mad expensive - find ways around dropping $200+ on a textbook for a 10 week class... See if friends have taken the class, check out BorrowDirect, explore your options before burning a hole in your wallet. Hit up the student health center (Dick’s House) if you are not feeling well, physically or mentally. Doctors, nurses, and counselors are there to support you, and they are damn good at their jobs. Resources are plentiful - don’t be afraid to take advantage of them.
10. Most importantly:
Don’t forget to keep breathing.
Don’t forget to keep breathing.
