Dear College Freshman,

I’m you too, so I think I understand exactly what you’re going through. This is a letter for all you freshman who aren’t one hundred percent sure of yourself, are feeling a little lost and maybe a little overwhelmed. This is a letter for all the college freshmen that are finding themselves a little homesick, a little sick, and many, many miles away from home. This is a letter for all the freshmen that are up to their ears in exams and papers, and are feeling pressure like never before. This is a letter for all the freshman that every once in awhile feel like they’re not cut out for college and that they don’t quite fit in.

While it’s true there are so many ups in an average week, it’s true that there are also lots of downs, and I’m telling you that you’ll make it through. You made it here, after all. You’re here in college, making a difference, however small it might feel like it is when you’re struggling to get up for your 9 AM calculus lecture. You wrote all those essays, waited for however many torturous weeks to hear back, and made the ultimate decision to leave your comfort zone to come here, to college. That takes a whole lot of guts, which means if you can do that, you can definitely do anything college throws at you while you’re here.

The real success is in the small wins. They make everything feel worth it. Even just one or two small wins a day can really feel like you’re succeeding. For me, I don’t hit snooze, I make my bed, and I try to only have fried potatoes with one of my three meals every day. Like I said, it’s the small things. Small wins can become what encourages you to move forward, and what makes the average day better. A small change in mindset to appreciate the small things can do wonders for your mental health, trust me. Wins don’t have to be acing a big exam or something equally as huge; it can be as small as finishing a problem or getting laundry done before you completely run out of socks.

One last thing I want to say is that you’re doing great. Even if it doesn’t feel like you are at the moment. Everything negative you’re feeling at the moment is also completely normal. I can tell you that I have days that I question what I’m doing here, and if I even belong here, in college. But you do, and I do. And together, we’re gonna get through this. Actually, scratch that, because we’re going to do so much better than merely getting through. We made it all the way here, and now we’re going to make it all the way to the other side. Together.

Love,

A Fellow Freshman