Dear Tusculum College Freshmen,

One day, you’re going to wake up and realize that summer is almost over. The one thing that you have been working towards for the past four years is finally in reaching distance. College. Tusculum College, no less. No matter how much of a brave-front you try to put up, there will always be a few nagging worries in the back of your mind.

The good news is transitioning into Tusculum won’t be as difficult as it would have been going anywhere else. The campus is not overwhelmingly large and the professors are extremely helpful. Transitioning should be the least of your fears.

If you’re coming to Tusculum with no friends, don’t worry. Student athletes have the upper hand because they already know their whole team. They have a built-in friend group and a one-way ticket to a social life. Those of you without those benefits will just have to work a little harder for your ticket. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and try new things. You’ll find your group eventually. Be willing to make the first move and introduce yourself to new people. If you don’t, you’ll spend your college years alone in your dorm with nothing to do when it should be a time a self-discovery. If you get turned down the first few tries, get back up. The opinions of a few people don’t reflect those of an entire student body.

Try not to start your freshman year in a relationship. Unless you’re already married at 18, just don’t do it. You’re going to meet so many new people and you don’t want your significant other to hold you back from having a social life.

With that being said, don’t throw your reputation away by getting involved with the wrong people—or too many people.

Social lives are important but not as important as your education. In high school, your grades had an impact on college (acceptance, scholarship, etc.). Now, your grades have an impact on your adult life after college. If you want a respectable job with good pay and benefits, study. Be able to say no when your new friends want you to stay out all night on a school night. You’ll want to impress them and not seem like a Debbie Downer but one night is not worth your career. Put the opinions of others on the backburner and put your education on the front.

Just know that at the end of the day, whatever it is, it’s not the end of the world. So someone you like doesn’t like you back? It’s not high school. Get over it. So your significant other is upset because you actually made friends? Break up with him/her. Move on. So your new friends are mad because you won’t go out with them? Your education is more important. They’ll get over it.

Finding a social life at Tusculum College is not an impossible task. You just have to know where to look. There will always be roadblocks and obstacles. People will want to get in your way. Don’t let them. Surround yourself with people that will help tear down those obstacles. Never lose sight of your goal and who you are.

Wish best wishes,

Someone Who Cares.