Dear freshmen,
Congratulations! You have almost survived your first year of college. For some of you these past few months may have been the best months of your lives, but I’m sure for the majority of you it has been a mix of fun, awkward, sad, uncomfortable, happy, and difficult. It can be hard adjusting to classes, being away from home, having a roommate, and being in entirely new situations. As a sophomore looking back, freshmen year was definitely a challenging experience for me. So, if you’re like me and you had all of these ideas of what college would be like but none of them have turned out the way you thought, believe me it’s OK. Freshmen year is weird, but the rest of your college experience will be better. Here are some things to note.
Unexpected surprises are a good thing. Like I said before, I’m sure everyone has ideas in their head of what college will be like and I’m sure almost none of these actually come true. However, that’s not always a bad thing. Getting a random roommate was the best unexpected surprise of my entire freshmen year because the girl was not crazy at all (well, OK, maybe just a little) and she is my best friend. The same thing happened with clubs and activities. Sometimes, as a freshmen, it can be hard to get accepted into clubs, but not getting into them isn’t the worst thing in the world. Maybe it opens your eyes to other clubs, or you have a new perspective on something. Maybe looking back you think, wow maybe it is better that I wasn’t accepted. Basically, don’t get so down on yourself if things don’t work out exactly how you imagined them to because everyone will work out how it is supposed to.
You will find your place. Maybe you made some great friends your first year at college, but believe me that is definitely just the beginning. As you get more comfortable being at school as the years go on, you will start to find your place and not just be another random student. You will finally feel like you belong where you should be and that can be with the major you decide to pick, the clubs you join, or the people you call your friends. It may not seem like it now, but believe me the school you are at will soon feel like a natural second home and the people you surround yourself with will feel like a second family. So if you still feel a little out of place or lost, don’t worry you’re still young and your time will come to find your place.
You still have a lot to learn. From my two years at college I have learned so much in the classroom but even more outside of it. I've learned things about myself and I've learned how to be very independent. You'll learn what type of person you want to be and the type of people you feel comfortable surrounding yourself with. You'll learn how to deal with tough situations and with difficult people. Most importantly you'll learn who will have your back and who isn't worth keeping around. If you thought you learned a lot freshmen year just wait because there is still so much to learn.
It’s OK to miss home. Freshmen year is definitely the year you will miss home the most, but just because you’ll be a sophomore soon does not mean you will stop missing home altogether. It’s natural to miss the place where you grew up and became who you are today. And it’s definitely natural to miss your parents and the friends you’ve known all your life, so don’t be surprised or upset if you still miss home as you get older. There will always be a special place in your heart for your home, so it’s okay to miss it.
Finally, if you think the first year of college went by fast just wait because sophomore has gone even faster for me and I’m sure the rest of my college experience will go even faster. So, say yes to things and enjoy every second of it!
