To the Incoming Freshman:

You walked through Target, Walmart, Meijer, Bed Bath and Beyond and you pick out the perfect bedding to go with your color coordinated room. You pick up these bins so you can store your make up and those shelving units to reorganize all of your school stuff. You buy a brand new laptop and know you're going to spend countless hours sitting at it till 4:00 in the morning studying for that exam that will make or break your grade. You're excited to have a new roommate and not be under the overbearing eyes of your parents every second of your life. Freshman year of college is going to be the best year of your life.

They don't warn you of what comes next though. While you're off at college, you're also accumulating thousands of dollars in debt. Your parents are learning what it's like to be old. Every time you visit home you notice how much older they are getting. You never noticed before because you spent every day with them. Before it was gradual, but now that you're away for months at a time you start to notice how much more grey their hair is or how many more wrinkles they are obtaining. It's sad, but they don't care. They are proud of you. You notice that you can talk to them more about the important matters like politics, mortgages, rent, car payments, taxes and so on. You can share funny stories of nights at the bar or community events you're involved in.

You start to feel the stress of submitting job applications to big boy/girl jobs. They want to know everything about you. It's no longer cookie cutter "I was head of my high school organization" achievements, it's what can you bring to my company that convinces me you're worth the investment of time and money. It's scary and with every application you're just hoping for a return response that boosts your confidence instead of diminishing it.

You've already been through school. Your friends are made. You know how to make new friends easily. You know the type of people in your life. Spontaneity becomes harder and harder. You spend more night’s home reading, studying, typing job applications or paying bills. There are less nights that you go out to get blacked out drunk because let’s face it, your old body can't bounce back like it used to.

This all sounds miserable right? Yeah I know. But these are only a few bad things so many more amazing things come with being a senior. You have friends from college you know you're going to make a life time with. Here you've met your bridesmaids and friends you know you can count on when you need a place to stay. At college, you may have met the love of your life and you're going to get married soon. Here you learned what you want and didn't want in a friend. You learned what you wanted to spend the rest of your life doing for a career. You took steps to build yourself as a person. You helped others grow while growing yourself. Your hobbies became your passions. Your insecurities became your strengths. Your fears became your motivation. College has shaped you into the type of person you were meant to be.

Sitting here as a senior watching all the freshmen walk across campus with stars in their eyes, I think of my first tour and the connection I felt. I think of my first roommate and how I learned to love her. I remember sitting in the library till 4 am studying for that make or break grade. I remember everything this campus has given me. But now, it's time to pass the torch on. This campus has given me more hope, personality, and friendship than I could imagine. It's time for me to let go. It's their turn to have it now. Good luck freshmen. Enjoy this magical gift.

All My Love and Thanks,

A senior