Dear 18-year-old Self,
Right now, you’re probably in your room getting ready for another one of your summer night hangouts with friends. For months, you’ve been spending every waking minute with your high school friends, ignoring the fact that sooner than not, you will be separated from them. Since you can remember, you have been in class with the same kids, saw the same people in the bathrooms and sat next to the same people at lunch. And in just a few short months, you will go from seeing this same crowd every day to just a few times a year (if you’re lucky). It is hard to imagine what life will be like without your best friend down the road from you, and you most likely do not want to think about it, but don’t be scared. Your friendships have lasted this long, and if they are true friendships, they will endure the distance and change that college will bring. Of course, you will not stay close with all of your friends. Some you may talk to once a week, some once a month and some never again. But they all shaped you and helped mold you into the young adult you are today. Embrace them. Let them know how much they mean to you and how grateful you are to hold the memories that you do. No matter what life brings, you will hold those memories close to your heart.
Spend time with your family. Your parents are going through similar changes as you. They are losing a child. The child that they raised for the past 18 years is becoming an adult and no longer requires the same guidance and assistance that was necessary in the past. Your relationship with your parents will get better once you go to college. You will be able to talk to your parents, and they will become the support and guidance that you thought you didn’t need. The only people who are always going to be there for you — even if it's 2 a.m. and you are freaking out because you have a paper due in the morning and your computer crashed — are your parents.
Don’t be nervous about going to college. You are starting a new chapter in life, and it's exciting. For the first time, your slate is clean. You can be whoever you want to be. However, don’t try to be someone you’re not. Be yourself, and always give good first impressions. People will always remember how you presented yourself when they first met you. Study hard, always read your textbooks and get plenty of sleep. With that being said, don’t turn anything down. The next four years are going to be the most fun you’ve ever had. Go out to get ice cream in the middle of the night. Have movie nights with your friends, even thought you have an 8 a.m. statistics class. Enjoy the parties (but don’t be the sloppiest one there), and make new friendships. Allow your friends to become your family away from home.
You can never be sure what the future holds, but you can be sure who holds the future, and that is you. You decide your destiny, and this is your time. Make it good. Be the person that you want to be. And don’t let anyone tell you differently. This is your life to live. Live it the way that you want it.
Sincerely,
A Knowledgeable, Older Version of Yourself
