Dear incoming college freshman,
Every single one of your classmates is going to be just as nervous as you are about their first day of school. It's actually a good thing because it will be a lot easier to talk to people and make friends. Especially if you keep that in mind. Remember that the friends that you make at the beginning of the year might not be the friends that will stick around until the end, and that's OK. We all need friends to help us get through this crazy new chapter of our lives but don't allow yourself to bend too far for people who may not do the same for you solely because you don't want to feel lonely.
Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner! Don't forget to because if you do it could cause headaches or stomachaches or you might just not have the energy to get through the day. Try to make food once in awhile and not go out to eat every single day because fast food is your easiest option but it gets really sad when you see that you spent all of your money on food and don't have any to do something fun with friends.
Get enough sleep! This is really really important. There will be a lot of tempting nights where you think you'll be able to stay up all night on social media and be OK in the morning but that's just not how it works. Some people can do it, but from my experience there's only a select few who can stay up until 4 a.m. and wake up for class at 8 a.m. and not complain about it for the rest of the day.
Go to class! This maybe sounds like something that you won't have to be reminded of but there's going to be days where you just really don't wan to go. It's OK to not go if you're sick or there's an emergency but other than that you should really try to go to every class. Some of the people in my class the past year figured out how much money we were paying for each individual class meeting and it was in the hundreds. So not going to class is like just throwing away that money.
Do! Your! Homework! It's really important that you stay caught up with your work right from the beginning because no one is going to push you to do it in the end. You're really in control of how well or poorly you do.
There's a ton of new things that you're about to experience but you have to take care of yourself in order to enjoy them. Remember to make time for yourself because no one is going to be there to remind you and it honestly gets a little tough at times of you don't.
Don't be too proud to ask for help. Whether that be help from your family, friends, or the staff at your school. This is the first time that many people are going to be on their own or faced with such a heavy amount of work to do and there's nothing wrong with being overwhelmed. Also, remember that's everyone there is going through similar things so try not to expect too much help from your peers.
Most importantly, remember to have fun. It's going to be one of the craziest times of your life, you're going to experience a lot of new things. Remember to stay true to yourself.
Love, an incoming college sophomore
