Hey Zach,

Congratulations on making it into college! This is a pretty big step in your life. I know you’ve been excited for college for a long time now and you’re even more exciting to be out of high school, but I wanted to give a bit of advice before you head into this new chapter of your life.

For starters, I know high school was busy, but college… yeah, it’s gonna be busier. In fact, most of the time, you’re gonna wonder how you’re ever gonna be able to get through it. You’ll be more stressed than you’ve ever been and I want you to be aware of this. But don’t fear. With being busy in college, come some pretty great experiences! So be excited, but be aware.

I guess the first bit of advice I have for you is to have fun. These are some of the best years of your life. At least they’re supposed to be. Meet new people, stay up too late because you were hanging out with friends, go to Cookout way too much, and learn as much as you can. You only have 4 years, make them count.

Go to all your classes. I know you’re tired and stayed up till 4am the night before. Maybe it was because you had a major project due; maybe it was because you played video games. Regardless of the reason, it’s important for you to go to every class. Even if you get the material, attendance does count. A lot. And the last thing you want to do is fail a class because of attendance.

Don’t go into college in a relationship. It’ll be a mistake. Both of you will be too busy. You won’t be at the same college and even if you think things will be great - Statistics prove otherwise. Also, you’ll probably miss out on meeting some awesome girls, if you’re stuck in your room on the phone with your high school girlfriend.

Make time for new experiences. You’re going to be too busy, that’s inevitable. But if you have a one-time opportunity to play with a music ensemble, go to an awesome concert, or even stay up all night talking to a new friend – do it! College is about experiences and if you stick to the schedule all the time, you’ll miss out.

Go to sleep! The biggest thing that will gauge your success is sleep. If you don’t get enough, you won’t be able to function well throughout the day. You’re going to want to pull an all-nighter and you’ll tell yourself that it’s beneficial. But it’s not. It’s better to get 3 hours of sleep, than no sleep.

Take time for your health. The freshman 15 is a real thing. In fact, it can easily be the freshman 20 or 25, if you’re not keeping watch over your health. Have a basic workout routine. Even if it’s just 15 minutes a day of physical activity. It’s better than nothing.

Most importantly. Keep calm, do your best, and enjoy yourself. You’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to find yourself questioning your life decisions. You’ll find yourself in unexpected places, at unexpected times. You’ll deviate from your original plan, sometimes in ways you never thought possible. At times, you’ll hate yourself. You’ll wonder why things aren’t going the way you had originally planned. You’ll be way too stressed out. Way too tired. And you may even lose your motivation at one point. But you know what? That’s okay.

Remember. You’re only human. We mess up and we’ll eventually get back on track. In the scheme of things, you’ll probably forget some of these moments of regret, because with failure comes success.

You’ll achieve some incredible feats. You’ll meet some amazing people. You’ll find that you can do things much better than you originally could. You’ll learn a lot. In fact, you’ll learn that you barely knew anything coming into college. And that’s awesome! You’ll awaken hidden talents, new found passions, and awesome memories.

As you read these last words, I just want you to know, that I am proud of you. You’ve made it this far and you’ll continue to go farther. Thank you for getting me to college. Thank you for your hard work and I promise to continue to push and push, to ensure that we are both proud of who we have become.

Sincerely,

Zach Snyder

To the reader: Remember to take time occasionally to reflect on who you once were and who you have become. It may seem stupid at first, but you have only gotten this far in your life, because of the person you once were.