Dear incoming college freshman,

What a time to be alive. I am so proud that you have reached this point in your life. It is time to begin your new journey of freedom as a college freshman. It is an overwhelming, nerve-racking, and scary time, but also an exciting, flourishing, and gratifying time. It is a transition from home cooked meals to cooking ramen 21 times a week. I am not exaggerating. From having mom and dad there to make sure you are up in the morning to setting 36 alarms for that 8 a.m. class. From thinking you have life all figured out to being clueless as you begin your first year of college.

Time Management will be the death of us all. As you begin this journey, time will be something that you will never quite have enough of. There seems to be a lot of time in a day, but you will quickly realize that your schedule is full more often than not. As you plan your time, remember that being a student is your number one priority. However, also set aside time for you.

Time Flies As you finish high school you are able to observe just how fast four years can fly by. Like that one cliché high school graduation song by Trace Adkins, it goes something like, “you're gonna miss this, you're gonna want this back." But you never really realized the significance of these lyrics until you grasp how close you are to finishing something you’ve known for the past four years. I can bear testimony that your freshman year of college will fly by just as fast. I want to encourage you to live in the moment and not take one minute for granted.

Don’t worry about the freshman 15. It’s the freshman 50 that you should be worried about. Personally,I am all about the “life is too short not to eat what you want” motto. However, I have realized that this is not the healthy mantra as you are presented with unlimited food at the cafeteria. Just don’t go back for 17th's even when the cute, old lunch lady is tempting you. Remember to eat healthy and visit the gym a few times a week. It’ll make you feel good, trust me.

Go to class, you are paying for this. Although you will have those days when you have convinced yourself that your next class is much less important than a nap, it is so important. Each class is an opportunity to learn something new and exciting. Do not miss out on the opportunity.

Inhale the future, exhale the past. College is a time where you are learning about yourself. You will make mistakes, it is inevitable, but it is all about how you react to those mistakes that shape who you are. Use every instance to learn something new about yourself. Transform the past into something beautiful in the future. Grow through every experience.

Meet new people-.I challenge each and everyone of you to step outside your comfort zone and make friends. It may seem intimidating, but everyone else is in the same boat. I encourage you to appreciate the differences in everyone you meet and embrace the diversity. These are the people who you will experience life with.

Don’t stress about the little things. College is nothing like high school. There will be times that a test is nothing like the study guide, and when you get your test back, let us just say it is a test grade that your mom would not want to pin to the fridge. Take a deep breath and know this is not the end, and you are not going to flunk out of school. Just know that you are now prepared for what is ahead and you know what you have to do to be successful. However, when the little things start becoming the big things, you should be a little more worried.. but you will be fine!

Crave learning. I encourage you to have a craving for learning knowledge in your classes, and have a hunger to learn about others and yourself.

College is all about growing and learning who you are. Embrace it. Learn from it. And enjoy it. Good luck.

God bless you,

Kelsey Faykus