Hey,

I'm writing this because I know it's hard.

You spend your whole life being the "smart kid." People would both envy and praise you constantly. The phrase, "She didn't even study," became both a compliment and an insult. But, little did they know that you would spend hours doing and re-doing math problems before tests. They had no idea you were awake at 5 a.m. and normally not in bed until midnight, if not 1 a.m., 2 a.m. or even later. There were numerous sleepless nights to be had and the not-so-occasional moment when you would fall asleep in nearly every class as a result of it. Maybe you even worked a part-time job or two, and/or were in every single club your school had, not even mentioning whatever sports you were a part of. Yet, you acted like it came naturally. The attention it brought was not only good, it was great. Nothing made you feel as accomplished as a 100% on a test did, or a 1 at music contests, or a 1st place medal. Your life began to revolve around doing what you could to excel and stand out.

And then, you were accepted to college... Not that there was any doubt that you would be. You had an application set to wow with hours of community service and a GPA over 4.0. You sat back and dreamed about how great life would be once you graduated. You let senioritis allow you to slack in some areas, but kept up all appearances. When graduation day rolled around, you beamed as top of your class. Nothing could bring you down.

So, you moved into your freshmen dorm room. You lay awake tossing and turning before the first day of classes. You walked into your very first lecture, you sat down... And you were terrified. You had absolutely no idea what was going on. You had never not understood a concept presented in class before. You never had to spend very long on most assignments or to seek help outside of the most difficult things in high school. But suddenly, you were absolutely mystified. "Surely, college isn't this hard," you tried to assure yourself. Spoiler alert -- it is hard. Like, really, really, really hard. Your attempts to not study lead to bad grades, maybe even the first bad grades of your life, and that can hit you pretty hard. If the lowest letter you have ever seen is a B, boy, do I have some news for you.

The disappointment of no longer being the smartest kid around can be a lot to process for some people, which can lead to even poorer performance, and a vicious cycle of letting yourself down. When you're surrounded by "smart kids," you may begin to question if college is even right for you.

Of course it is.

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The fact is, by excelling as you did in high school, you proved you are capable. Just because maybe you didn't pick an "easy" major, doesn't mean you aren't talented. It doesn't mean you aren't intelligent. It just might mean you have to work even harder now.

Don't deny yourself from being what you know you can be.

Accept and ask for help if and when needed.

Most of all, relax. Freaking out all day, everyday is not going to make you do any better or make your life any easier, so just take it one day at a time.

One day, when you are a doctor, researcher, lawyer, dentist, nurse, teacher, psychologist, etc., you will look back and laugh at the idea you were ever not more than enough as a student, and as a person.

Have faith, and do your best. That is all anyone can ever ask of you.

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