A Letter To Incoming Freshmen

Dear College Freshmen,

College is one of the biggest transitions of your life. It's the first time you'll be living on your own and making your own decisions 24/7. It's a time of study hours, frat parties and game days. It's where you learn the importance of separating your laundry, and also the importance of an alarm. Or five. It's where you learn to balance and grow. It's a huge change, and there's some things you ought to know.

First of all, please buy a planner. I'm not even a planner person, but believe me when I say you are going to need it. Your schedule will be crazy, trust me. You don't wanna be that person who gets to class and cries when there's a test on your desk (definitely not speaking from experience...).

Second, let your mom cry it out. It's hard for her; she's "losing" her baby. So let her make decoration suggestions, and introduce herself to everyone on your hall. Let her show you how to get a stain out of your T-shirts and hug you a little tighter. Just enjoy those moments, because you will miss her constantly.

Don't get too carried away. You don't have to go to every single party, there will always be more. Have fun, but remember why you are there. College is so much harder than you can even imagine. Studying is a necessity. Make sure you find a balance.

Go to class! Seriously, just go. It makes such a difference, and when you think about how much money you're spending per class, it's plenty of motivation. You need to soak in all you can, it goes by faster than you think. You wanna be the best in your field, so go to class.

Try not to let stress consume you. It's difficult, and some days you're going to want to give up; but don't. Push through the stress, take everything one step at a time and focus on the task at hand. Know you are shaping your future and it will all be worth it. Surround yourself with a great support system and try to be as organized as possible, it helps. Also, sometimes you just need to eat ice cream and cry. That's ok, do that too. Your roommate may want to join you.

Most importantly, get out of your comfort zone. Go to that event in the middle of campus. Knock on your neighbors door and see if they want to have a movie night. Introduce yourself to the people around you in your history class! This is the time to find yourself, and find your lifelong friends. Don't let fear keep you from venturing out. You will never regret memories made with people you love.

To all the college freshman, I wish you the best. You're going to kill it this year. Soak it all in, and remember that the nervous breakdowns will be worth it. College, as stressful as it is, is one of the greatest adventures of your life.