1. High school.

Whether you have the time of your life or you suffer a labyrinthine den of agony, high school is an inherently limiting place, with its strict academic and social barriers. The important thing is that you got out. Breathe deep and head into your future, my dudes.

2. Your imagined future.

It is not set. Look onward with optimism and an open mind and the world becomes a bright place full of possibilities. You can have ice cream for dinner.

3. The idea that you are done growing.

You have not figured yourself out. Trust me. No one has. Let yourself change - it will make you a better person.

We are all works in progress. The sooner we accept that, the sooner we begin to see the world for the messy and inspiring place it is. Trust this gif of Selena Gomez from Princess Protection Program.

4. Unfair academic standards.

You will get a C. You will write a shitty paper. And it will be okay.

5. That “Not Good Enough” Mentality

That C and that shitty paper do not define you. That awkward interaction at your first party does not define you. I honestly don't know how to unpack this one - I'm still working on it. Just know that who are is enough, at least in the eyes of a sophomore history major named Maria who writes for The Odyssey.

6. Preconceptions about people different from you.

Let people surprise you. The world is more interesting than you can imagine, most of the time.

7. Perceptions of yourself created by those around you.

You are in a new environment surrounded by new people that have no idea who you were, are, or want to be. The understanding that my high school peers had of me felt like a cage I would never escape. You can make yourself who you want to be. Forget about the expectations of your parents, teachers, colleagues, friends, whatever - fulfill your potential and then some. Write your own story.

8. Shitty friends from home.

You have no obligation to keep in touch with anyone who has ever made you feel less than. Let me say that one again. - YOU HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH ANYONE WHO HAS EVER MADE YOU FEEL LESS THAN.

9. The idea that you’re just glad to be leaving home.

The house you are leaving behind might not have been your home, or even a place where you felt safe, but I guarantee there is something you will miss. Whether it’s your closest friend, your dog, the Target near your house, or a ditch filled with rusty bikes that has inexplicably been in your neighborhood since you were born, you've left your home. The memory of them will ache in your chest like heartburn after eating too many enchiladas.

Leaving home is easy. Being away is hard.

10. Any imagined barriers between who you are and who you want to be.

Fuck it. Be who you are. You are the protagonist and the author of your own story, so write your character however you want.

This is your chance to just let go and see what the world is like when you dismiss social constructs as the arbitrary garbage they are. Find a new identity or float between a couple. Imagine that your life right now is the makeover part of a video game. Dye your hair, rip your clothes, get a tattoo, remove a tattoo, start talking like a Sims, whatever - just be you.