Hey you!
So I know seeing a letter from me seems a bit impossible, but trust me when I say this: you'll get here.
It hasn't been an easy ride to get to where we are right now, but it's definitely been a worthwhile one. When I graduated high school? I felt like the world was ending and I was going to lose the only school I would have ever called home. It was hard, and I said goodbye to some great people. Now that I've been away from high school for almost 4 years, I believe that transition was an easier one then I'm about to make. Dare I say it? I'm going to have to be... an adult!
When I came to college just a few months after graduating high school, I still felt like my life was in shambles and I called home every day begging for someone to come pick me up. I wasn't completely ready to be here, and to top it all off, I was in a major that wasn't the right fit for me.
The first semester was the worst, but towards the end of second semester, things took a turn for the better, I changed my major, and I never looked back. I'm happy where I am now, and after everything I went through, I want to offer you some advice, so here it goes:
1. It's okay if you don't find the right major right away.
I thought I had to know what I was going to do for the rest of my life right when I step foot onto the grounds of my college, and guess what? I didn't. Well, I thought I did, but after delving into the coursework for that major, it wasn't what I hoped it would be. Towards the end of my first year, I figured out that what I wanted to do was almost on the other side of the spectrum from where I was, and while I was scared at first to do what I heard so many others do and struggle to come back from. However, I know that if I hadn't taken that leap of faith, I would not be where I am now.
2. You will probably cry... a lot more than you thought you would, but so will everyone else.
I know that we're not a fan of crying a lot, but college is stressful, and as little as we like crying, we like stress a hell of a lot less. So, my girl, cry your heart out and let yourself feel just a little bit better in the moments where the stress becomes too much. And guess what? You're not alone, because there are going to be so many more people just like you who are stressed beyond belief, probably growing grey hair at 20, and they may even be willing to share their tissues.
3. It's okay if you and your roomie don't get along.
So, the movies all make it seem like you and your roomie will be best friends for life, and sometimes that happens, but it doesn't always. Sometimes, you just won't get along with the people you live with, mainly because you are in such close quarters with them all the time and you never really feel like you have much space to yourself. But at the same time, being on your own could be really rough, so try to make it work, and if you can't? Just try and ask if you can switch rooms.
4. Finally: you WILL make friends, even if it seems hard at first.
The coolest thing about college that I've found is that you can find someone who shares the same interests as you in the weirdest of ways. For example, you could be wearing a T-shirt with your favorite show on it, and chances are someone around you is a fan and will come up and start talking to you about it! You will make friends, even if it's in situations you wouldn't normally expect.
So, my younger self, I promise you that life doesn't end after high school, and you will experience so much and become a part of so much more than you ever imagined you would. It's going to be hard at times, but you'll pull through, and on the other side of all of that test anxiety and papers up to your eyeballs, you'll be a better person for it, and you will look at the world with a far different view.
Good luck to you, and I'll catch you on the flipside!
With love,
You as a college senior.
