Dear Freshman Year of College,

Goodbye. Farewell. See you never, because frankly, I am so glad we are over. I mean we had some good times, don't get me wrong. But it's time for me to move on and I think you know why.

We fell in love pretty quickly, a whirlwind sort of romance if you want to be specific. Maybe it was that crisp Autumn air, or the sweet scent of Game Day, or maybe it was just that warm glow of hope of the future that made me fall head over heels for you so quickly. I thought I had found the one, I thought that I would be content for the rest of my life living Freshman Year over and over.

Living in a dorm was cool! I had no parents to tell me to fix my bed in the morning and it was like my roommate and I basically got to have a sleepover every night. I could eat pizza for breakfast if I wanted and for dinner, too. I finally got to go to classes that were interesting and thank God I didn't have to wake up at 6:00 a.m. every morning to get to first period. The parties were fun, the people were new and the campus was unexplored. The world was my oyster, honestly I thought you were too good to be true.

Then, winter hit and you quickly proved to me that you didn't last well when the going got tough. The weather was gray and dreary, to be completely honest you really didn't help me with my mood. The classwork became insane, the parties had lost their luster and the dorm room I once adored started seeming smaller and smaller. All that pizza you had allowed me to eat was starting to catch up with me and my favorite pair of jeans that you know I loved so much were starting not to fit like they used to. Winter was hard and I am sorry to say, I think that was the beginning of the end.

When spring came things got better, for the moment. Spring break had been the sweet refresher I needed from you. At the time, I thought a little time apart would make all of our problems go away. When I came back to you, it really did seem like things would be different that quarter. The sun was starting to peak out from behind the clouds and everything seemed to brighten. After two quarters I finally figured out what classes would be beneficial to me...at least I thought I did. Only half way through the quarter things began to pile up again. Essays, midterms, laundry, study guides, dirty dishes, packed work schedules, exam results that made me want to quit school and become a spoon salesman.

The end was near and both you and I knew it.

That's why I am writing you this letter Freshman Year. We are over, forever. I do not plan on re-living you. I have bigger and better things ahead. An apartment to call my own, classes that will actually fulfill major requirement and a fresh year ahead to get that much closer to the elusive future.

Don't get me wrong, we had some good times, but those are in the past now. I will always look back on our memories together with a fondness in my heart. It's time for me to move on now though. If I am being completely honest there's someone else who has caught my eye, Sophomore Year. You've probably heard of them?

Well Freshman Year, thanks for the good times and thanks for the bad. You certainly taught me a lot about myself and the type of person I want to be in the world and for that I am forever grateful.

-C/O 2019