An Open Letter To The Incoming Freshman

Well, you did it. You are finally here on campus. You have officially made it, now it's time to start the next chapter of your life. As you are all excited about moving in and decorating your dorm, please don’t forget why you are here. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the newness of college. They say that college is where you find yourself, but don’t lose yourself either. You have survived those dreaded years of living at home, and now you are finally independent. There is no constant nagging about someone asking if you have completed your homework and wondering what time you will be home. But there is always a catch, now with this power of being independent you have to figure out how to make it all work.

Remember to try to find the balance. Never try to ditch your friends to go study but also don’t ditch studying to be with your friends. I can assure that the memories you make here will always be priceless. I can also assure you that with those amazing nights will come morning panics and some breakdowns. This is Ok; it wouldn’t be college if you weren’t questioning your life choices on a daily basis or contemplating changing majors. I know you have heard it before, but I will say it again, everything will be Ok. It is completely Ok to do something out of your comfort zone, that’s how you grow. The best part is that you are surrounded with a whole class of people who are in the same boat. No one knows anyone or how to do this whole college thing anyways. Remember that no one likes someone who thinks they are all that so please don’t come across as such. High school is completely different than college so stop trying to compare it. No one really cares that you were the homecoming queen at your high school so please don’t go around telling everybody. You are now just a small fish in a big pond. Eventually you will learn how to swim.

Learn which buildings your classes are in before the first day. Don’t be the kid on campus who is walking around trying to figure out where they are supposed to go with a map in their hand. Someone is going to see you and probably try to send you to the wrong building. Talk to people in your classes, because if you ever have to do a group project you should probably have an idea of who you want to work with. Never order books from the bookstore because that bill will probably make you cry more than your worst class. Get to know people on your floor because if you ever get locked out, you might need some place to crash (who knows they could even become your friends J).

Although there are still too many truths to be told, it wouldn’t be college if you had all the answers. You will learn to figure everything out and hopefully learn that the best is yet to come.