Dear sophomore me,

Well, you made it through the first year. I was definitely not the easiest. There were good times and bad times. Sometimes all you wanted to do was go home, other times you felt completely numb to everything and everyone. While it may be true that the moments of pure happiness and self-condifdence were few during your freshman year, now you have a fresh start. You're back in the downtown that you've pretty much memorized after countless afternoon walks, not to mention back with the people that you haven't seen in months. There will undoubtedly be challenges this year as well, but now you know that there's nothing you can't handle.

I highly doubt ignoring the FOMO will get any easier. This feeling was very new to you last year, but you got through it. Most importantly, you realized that you are not the type of person who can live their happiest and most fulfilling life by constantly going out and being as social as they possibly can. Remember that you need time to yourself. Remember how refreshed you'd feel after a day of relaxation with your favorite TV shows followed by a walk in the late afternoon. You need this time to get ready for the week ahead- to recharge your brain so that you can do the best at the work you are given. While it may be true that the feeling you're missing out will never go away, I firmly believe that it will be much easier, this year, to be confident in your choice to take some time to yourself.

Aside from the social aspects of going back to college, there are, of course, going to be plenty of academic challenges. Keep managing your time the way you have been, as you have done well in your classes so far. Most importantly, don't get so stressed out about things. You're going to fail a quiz or a test here and there. It is not the end of the world. Your professors only want to help you, which is why you ought to make more of an effort to get to know them this year. You're a sophomore now, you know the ropes, and you know that they're people just like you. I know you're probably not going to listen to me when I say this, but don't procrastinate. Please, for the sake of our sleep, don't wait til the last minute to start a paper or start reading a very dense book. I will definitely take you longer than you think it will.

Remember to take in every little thing about where you are and the people that you meet. This is the best way to learn. They are from all different walks of life and, as you continue to grow up, do your best to learn a little about the world outside your own. After this year, you're already halfway done. Savor the new and interesting experiences that will undoubtedly fall upon you, but don't forget to take time to yourself if that is what you need to recharge. So, here's to sophomore year. It's going to be a wild ride.