To the freshmen who are finishing up their first year in college.
Dear freshman,
As you are up late studying for your exams or doing some last-minute packing getting ready to move back home stop and take a second to breathe it all in. You have just completed your first year of college. You did it; you may have been dreaming about how the college life would be or how much work it would be, but now you know, and just like that your freshman year of college is over. Although it sure is bittersweet that your freshman year is closing in on you, don’t worry because you will be back to college for the next three years after this. Take a few moments to stop and reminisce about all the beautiful things you have learned and may have never thought would happen. You have accomplished so much, from learning how to live on your own with no parents to accepting the fact that sometimes you may have ice cream for dinner, every little thing that happened during your freshman year is a new life experience.
Take a moment to thank all the beautiful and wonderful people you have met on this new college adventure. Whether you came in blind not knowing anyone or went to college with a lot of familiar faces, you have surely encountered many friendships you may have never thought you would have. While you look back, reminisce and realize how many new people you have met and created friendships with; don’t forget to thank and appreciate them for all they have done.
Although you are excited for the summer as well as the next year and not living in the crusty freshman dorms, take a moment to stop and realize all the moments and memories you have created in your own dorm room. From those quick emotional breakdowns to those times were you were getting ready for a great night out, there will be a small part of you that will miss your little dorm room because of all the memories created while living there.
Finally, congratulate yourself and realize that all your hard work has paid off. College is important and a big deal, but sometimes we all don’t get enough credit for all the things we complete. Congratulate yourself for completing your first year of college. Although your journey is not finished yet it is really just beginning. You have completed the first chapter in your life relating to college. Don’t forget to look back and realize how much you have grown and how far you have come in your first year in college.
“In life we do things. Some we wish we had never done. Some we wish we could replay a million times in our heads. But they all make us who we are, and in the end they shape every detail about us. If we were to reverse any of them we wouldn’t be the person we are. So just live. Make mistakes. Have wonderful memories. But never, ever second guess who you are, where you have been, and most importantly where it is you’re going.”
