Hi senior-in-high-school, Jess. I’m senior-in-college Jess, and I’m here to tell you the thing you hate hearing but need to hear: It’s going to all be okay.
I know you’re concerned about finding a place you’ll fit in and be accepted. About finding a place that you’ll enjoy and feel comfortable at. I know you’re literally pulling your hair out over this, and you have been since sophomore year. But you will find that place.
You’re going to find new hobbies and passions that you didn’t know you had in our small town high school (in the middle of nowhere), Mass. You’re going to join a sorority (crazy, right?), despite being so far from a “sorority girl” it’s insane, and you’ll form a tighter bond with those girls than you’d ever think possible. You’re going to fall in love, get your heart broken, and fall in love again. And it’s going to be fine.
You will push the boundaries of who you are as a person. You’ll (kind of?) find out what you want to do with the rest of your life, and reaffirm you want to help people be as safe and healthy as possible. You’ll yell at sexist jerks in classrooms and be applauded by professors for it. You’ll pull all-nighters where you order three pizzas and drink too much coffee. You’ll almost lose yourself completely over a guy, then find yourself again and come back better than ever. Your friends will pick you up and put you back together and you’ll end up okay.
You’re going to party too hard your first semester, then stay in for the subsequent five. You’re going to get a little too tipsy your 21st birthday and make some all-in-all questionable decisions. You’ll make friends you’ll love unconditionally, lose friends from high school, and meet people you hate. And everything will be fine. I promise.
I know you’re going to overload yourself your senior year (of high school) and you’re so stressed about college apps that you feel sick all the time. But everything is going to pay off in the long run, I promise. All the hard work you put in will lead you to amazing opportunities and new experiences you never dreamed of having. I know right now you’re a frizzy-haired, brunette bundle of nerves, and you will be that way for a while. But that stress will fade, and you’re going to turn out better than you ever expected.
Your life will be amazing.
Love always,
Yourself
