To the high school senior who just committed to college,

Across your chest now sits a new logo, new words, and perhaps new colors. Gone are the words of your high school, and here is your new home for the next four years. It might seem strange to represent a new school after wearing a different school for so long.

It might seem exciting that a new eon of your life is just beginning, printed and represented on the shirt you are wearing. It might seem to relieve that after diligent years of preparing for that college admission, you can finally commit yourself to one. It might seem like a combination of the above feelings.

This new school is your home, this new student body is your family. Many devout college fans say they bleed blue, purple, gold, orange, or red (though we do actually bleed red) because you now share that blood. Cherish it. Remember those admissions committees have limited seats and have to construct who they want in their community. You are one of the people they wanted. They thought the blue or purple blood deserves to run through your veins as well.

Also, remember that it is okay to not be over-the-moon excited about your school immediately after you commit.

Just as people may fall out of love with someone who seemed to be the person of their dreams, people who proudly flaunt their schools may realize in the future that the school is not their dream school. On the other hand, your love for the school may not blossom right away and it may take time for you to really foster the love for the school you chose. Be patient. I am nearing the end of my first full year at school, and I still have yet to see all of the wonderful things my school can offer me. It will come. And it does not always come the minute you commit.

Treat your school as a new country where you get to choose the path.

People always call particular colleges "[insert mascot name here] Country" because, like a country, the school provides a new setting but there are so many roads that meander throughout it. You have to choose the path you are going to take to navigate through this new country. Whatever you choose to do, remember that your decisions will reflect in that design across your chest and in the permanent footprint you forge on the campus forever. This college will be whatever you make out of it. Never forget that.

But always remember how special you are to sport those letters, those graphics, those colors.

Remember how one day you will be a face in the crowd of a football game or basketball game. Remember how one day you will be one of those bodies roaming the campus, full of unique ways to enrich the school community as a whole. Remember how one day you will be a part of a revolutionary force in the learning world. Committing to college represents how you will blend into the grander student body, but it also represents how you must make yourself stand out and show them all you are worth.

So wear the logo with pride and remember that you were special enough to become part of that family. Never forget that there is only one of you that will ever grace the campus of the school. Embrace it!