Dear me,

I know you aren’t excited right now, even though you’ve been telling everyone you are. How could you be, though? Going somewhere completely unfamiliar with people you don’t know is some scary shit. (sorry mom) Here’s some words of advice from you, a year from now.

Don’t do your eyeliner every morning ok just do it on your birthday or something?? (no one cares) (no one notices)

I’m really happy that you end up sticking with your club sport. It’s a great escape from school and you’ll make some great memories and friends….even though you never thought you’d fit into another team ever again after high school.

Be prepared for the dining hall to scar you for life and be prepared to eat almond butter by the spoonful for every meal. Freshman 15 aint got nothing on you, girl.

Don’t wish both of your semesters away!!! Try and enjoy it. Look forward to things instead of counting down the days until the next time you can go home. I know life will be hard but I promise you, you’ll survive. You won’t go out much at all, but your roommate-sister from-another-mister-best-friend will save you from boring Saturday nights.

It’s crazy how fast you’re going to get your priorities straight in terms of so many things, and it’s going to be amazing learning about the things that you actually care about. I know you have doubts, but your program is perfect for you and that will become so evident in just the first few weeks of classes. You will have to take public speaking, though. It’ll age you 78.2 years.

I’m proud of you for keeping in touch with your friends and family and not letting that part of your life go to shambles. I think that was possibly the only thing that wasn’t in shambles? Yeah.

You’ll lose a family member. It’s going to seem impossible, but you’ll make it through, and you’ll appreciate the extra light shining down on you for the rest of your year and life. I wish you realized earlier how far a little prayer can go, and how prayer in general can pull you out of the lowest feelings you ever felt.

You’ll get shut down from more things than one and you’ll feel like the world is against you but I swear everything will come around in the end. You’ll find your place, you’ll eventually find some friends and at the end of year, shockingly enough, you will be a little bit sad leaving your box of a dorm room.

Sincerely, Sophomore you. xoxo