Dear younger me,

If I remember anything from the last summer before I became a freshman in college, it’s the nerves and anxiety of it all. At the time, you’re extremely scared of what the future will hold for you and if you are truly meant to be on the path you are about to pursue. You’re also scared about the new friends you will meet in college, or if you will even make that strong of a connection with anyone. You’re scared of miniscule things about college, like walking in late to class (just kidding, senior me is still anxious about that), finding parking near your classes, or having professors/peers that will make an impact on who you are about to become in life.

As cliché and unoriginal as this sounds, everything will be better than you expected and you will make all the right decisions.

You followed your gut when applying for college and immediately knew that you loved everything about the subject of English. You’re going to have regrets throughout college on if you made the right choice and you might even look into different majors, but leaving it would be the worst mistake of your life. The feeling you get when you open up a new book will never leave (at least for the next four years) and your love for writing will only increase as so many different opportunities will cross your path. For example, you know that cute little makeup Instagram page you follow, with almost 12 million followers, let’s just say you’re going to be very happy in the next couple of years. Don’t let the nervousness of becoming a good teacher stand in the way of what you really want to do with your life. You will accomplish it, especially with the right amount of practice and experience.

Secondly, the uneasy feeling you have inside of you right now about not knowing who you truly are and wondering if you ever will be content with yourself, will change drastically. You’re going to realize that you don’t need to hang out with people that solely drink and party to have fun. If they do force you to partake in actions that you’re not really proud of, don’t be scared to walk away from them. There are plenty of friends out there that like exactly the same things as you, but there will be others that will drag you out on Saturday nights to “stop being boring”. Enjoy a little bit of both, trust me. Hanging out with a new group of friends will only make you find the person you have been looking for all throughout high school (and you are going to love her). Don’t be shy in talking to the people next to you in classes, or to actually continue the conversation when they initiate first, because they will probably be the best decisions that will come out of this four-year experience.

Thirdly, don’t get stuck on your high school friends. There have been so many people that you have been afraid to let go of because they were part of your “clique” in high school, but you’re not forced to be in that predicament anymore. Expand your horizons and let go of all the negativity. When senior years comes rolling around, you are not even going to be relatively close to some of your friends from freshman year of college. It’s okay and it’s all part of a learning experience that has to do with finding yourself and who you truly want to associate with.

Lastly, take care of yourself and focus on your self-happiness. There will be plenty of times where school will come in the way of actually putting yourself first, but don’t let it take over your entire world. Of course, grades are important and you will always strive to get the best grades you possibly can, but it’s okay to fail a time or two. Don’t be so hard on yourself and assume that the end of the world is near when this happens. Spend time with your family and friends because they will be the ones to lift you up from that rut that may be clouding your vision when life gets a little too stressful. Each person has their own significant impact on making your college experience a little brighter, as well as truly making you happy. Don’t be afraid to take mental health days off from that tough class and just truly relax on parts of your life that make you happy.

These next four years are going to shape you into the person you will be in the future, and not in the cruddy high school way. You will know what’s truly important in life and what is not even worth dealing with. You will go through some hard times in college, but don’t forget to take a deep breath and look at all the amazing people surrounding you. You will never be alone, so stop thinking that.

Now, go out and get ready to face the next four years at Adelphi. Who knows, you might not find it that bad at the end of it all.

Love,

Your Wiser and Older Self