To my good old pal, freshman year,

This is a thank you letter. In just about nine months, you changed me for the better. The person I used to be is just a memory, and the new and improved me is ready to take on the future.

Freshman year, you brought me so much fun, stress, anger, happiness, joy, peace, love, confusion, an extra ten pounds, and a broke bank account. While it was a wild ride, I don’t think there is a single thing that I would change about you. You are the reason I am who I am, and the reason I have who I have in my life. You treated me so well.

To sum you up is a really hard task. I guess if I could give one word to describe you, it would be "extraordinary."

Back in August on move-in day, I was shy and kind of lost. I was confused, and I probably moped around campus in the hundred-degree Pennsylvania heat for a week, frustrated over Google maps continuously taking me to the wrong location. I thought that you were going to bring me down.

But after a couple of weeks, I began to realize that in order to reach the top, I had to get past a tricky course of obstacles first. After I got the swing of things, you became an object of happiness, and I embraced you full on as my new life. This new life was more than I could possibly ask for.

You brought me so much fun. Fun nights that I will remember forever, and fun nights that have already been forgotten. But trust me, that’s how I know they were awesome.

You brought out my wild side and taught me how to let go. You taught me how to walk up to a door and act like I was totally invited to the party, and that yes, I should be let in. When that strategy didn’t work out, you showed me and my friends how to get into parties through the window. You showed me how to pee in a frat without sitting down, and how to consume four slices of pizza at three A.M. You brought me uncontrollable laughter with strangers and best friends, and the ability to hike up the hills of downtown State College in heels. You taught me how to lose my voice after a day in Beaver Stadium, and that a mid-day nap after a daylong is essential to make it out on a Saturday night.

You taught me how to steal hotdogs off other people’s grills at tailgates, and how to dance to Avicii in the back of a pick-up truck somehow without falling off. You showed me that sometimes I should shut my mouth after a couple drinks, but that if I don’t, it’s totally acceptable because I will always just blame it on the alcohol in the morning.

And that I would question a lot of my actions but never regret them because stupidity is how memories are made. And that these memories will turn into ridiculous stories to tell my friends back home. You also showed me that the ultimate cure for a hangover is a bottle of Pedialyte and a bagel with cream cheese. I learned that skipping class on a Friday morning to sleep in is totally okay and that blowing a hundred dollars every week downtown on “going out clothes” is an inevitable guilty pleasure.

You brought out some crazy dance moves that I never knew I had, and you taught me that an elevated surface is all a girl needs to have fun. But also, to never fall off the elevated surface because yes, that hurts a lot, and you will get covered in frat juice once you hit the ground.

Somehow through all of this wildness, freshman year, you turned me into a (kind of) adult who I am proud to be.

You showed me the value of an amazing roommate who will always have my back, the joy of seeing babies and puppies running around on campus, and the happiness that just one sunny, semi-warm day can bring. You taught me to never again take for granted barefoot showers and homecooked meals. You taught me that the people who care about me are the ones who will constantly reach out, even though there is a distance between us.

You brought me amazing people, who I would never have guessed would enter my life. Because of you, my friends come from all over the country, and we all have differences that make us whole. The friends that I met because of you will last a lifetime. Our laughter and good times will keep rolling for the next three years we take on at college, and they will continue to be my sanity at the end of a long day of classes. They’ll also continue to be my source of terrible influences on a Saturday night.

While my friends brought a new love and brightness into my life, they also showed me that there is more to the world than Long Island. There is happiness out there that I haven’t seen yet, and there is also darkness and flaws. These components of my best friends' lives kind of made mine more complete in a way by breaking down my walls of obliviousness.

You taught me how to ultimately take care of myself, yet how to utilize my loved ones near and far as my support system. You taught me to never take this love for granted because there would be days when all I wanted was a hug from my mom or my best friend. But, you also showed me the amazing liberation that comes with independence and that I will make mistakes, as well as great decisions for myself. You taught me that the only person I should truly rely on is myself because if I want things to get done, I am the only one who can make those things happen.

You brought me a new sense of awareness for others. I have never lived in a community so diverse, and this diversity has totally broken down any judgments I used to have. You’ve shown me a new sense of equality and a love for people in general.

While this is just a small list of all you have done for me, I am forever grateful to you. Freshman year, you changed my life. You brought out my best and my worst. You are the reason I am so undeniably happy... you have shown me what it truly means to love life. Thank you so much for every memory created, every lesson learned, and for shaping me into the person I have become. I will miss you so much, and I will cherish you forever.

Love always,

Jess