Dear Future Buckeye,

You just made one of the most important decisions of your life. Not to mention the best decision. This place will change your life.

I didn't grow up in Ohio, this was not my dream school, and I didn't even bother to visit before I applied here. I was supposed to be about two hours away from home at a university right in the center of Boston. I "wasn't" supposed to end up here. I needed a safety school, and yeah I know how obnoxious that sounds.

But honestly, now that I'm here, at the best university in the world, I've realized that there's no way I would be even close to as happy at that little university in Boston as I am at the heart of Buckeyeland. Everything I could ever want or need is right in front of me. I've made amazing friends who support and love me, I've found my passion, I gained 206 sisters, I've tried new things from food to bubble soccer, I danced for twelve hours to fight pediatric cancer, I started over, I changed my major, I watched Urban Meyer take the Bucks to the Fiesta Bowl, I tried out for one of the best rowing teams in the country, and I found my home away from home. The opportunities are endless, almost overwhelming. I've spread myself very thin from all the different activities I've participated in, but every single one has helped me to grow as a person.

When orientation rolls around, you'll get your first taste of what it'll be like to be on this campus every day. You'll schedule classes, you'll learn your way around the Oval, you'll get a really helpful peer leader, and you'll meet the people you might be living with next year. One word of advice though, don't schedule a 6:30 p.m. chemistry lab, you'll hate yourself a lot.

When you go through and pick your preferences for housing and your meal plan, there's a lot you need to know. First and foremost, avoid Morrill and Lincoln at all costs (if you can help it). While the community aspect is unique and charming, the towers are so far from everything but the RPAC and the Shoe. Wanna go out in the winter? Live in Morrill? You'll spend a lot of money on Ubers. South campus dorms aren't that bad, and they're close to Kennedy Commons, which has the best breakfast on campus in a dining hall. You'll be close to all the nightlife happenings and Short North, but it's a real hike to your classes. Finally, there's North Campus, and I'm definitely biased here but it's the best place to live on campus. Most of the dorms are brand new, the best dining hall on campus is right there, you could literally roll out of bed and get to class on time, and did I mention the dorms are brand new?? Just saying, North is the place to be. For meal plans, easily choose one where you can use swipes at places other than dining halls. It's a game changer.

Go to the football games, you will see something amazing that you've never experienced before. You'll love singing Carmen immediately, it's an otherworldly experience. Eat at the dining halls alone. You won't look like a loner, this isn't high school anymore. Leave your door open for the first few weeks. You'll get to know your floor, and you may end up living with them for the next four years. Strike up a random conversation. There are so many different types of people on this campus that you would be wasting your time if you didn't take advantage of meeting as many of them as you can. Join a club or seven. Find people that aren't in your major but share your interests, take advantage of all that tOSU has to offer. DO BUCKEYETHON. It's the most rewarding experience you can take part of here, and the kids will melt your heart. Have a Sunday dinner with your closest friends at Sloopy's. Catch up on each other's lives over the best chicken fingers and milkshakes on campus. Don't underestimate your classes. Just because this is a public university doesn't mean that class will be easy. Go to the library instead of going out every weekend. Unless you are literally the smartest person on campus, you'll need to study; the temptation of the nightlife here is so hard to resist, but some of my favorite memories have been made in the library at 1 a.m. with my friends or staying in watching movies until we all fall asleep.

As I'm finishing up my freshman year, I'm seeing how quickly my time here is going to pass. As cliche as it sounds, the best part about being a Buckeye is that you're a Buckeye forever. You'll be the crazy alumni that you've no doubt already run into at the airport, the supermarket, or McDonald's. I haven't even graduated yet but I've already heard of people announcing that they're coming here and I can't even contain myself. We're all just a bunch of crazy nuts.

Good luck next year,

A lifelong Buckeye