Dear 18 to 22-year-olds,
Good luck. The real world is not nice. Things are expensive. College is hard. People are mean. It's hard to eat healthily. Money doesn't grow on trees. Have I mentioned that college is hard? I would be lying if I said you won’t ever get discouraged throughout your years at school, but trust me when I say this: It is worth it. Struggle. Learn. Grow. Screw up. Do great things. Trust others.
Here’s a little wisdom for your time at school.
Go to class.
Ok so this is a given. But seriously, you aren’t putting yourself (or your parents) into thousands of dollars of debt just so you can hang out with friends and get drunk every night. You need good grades to get a good job and have a good life. Look, it's important. Just go to class and do what you have to do. Make the grades, make your parents happy, and impress your future employer with those stellar grades.
Also go out.
Seriously, have fun. Experience new things and have a wild night out with your girls (or bros)! Part of going to school is about meeting new people and having a good time. Take care of your studies and reward yourself for doing so. Go to that super weird themed frat party and have a few extra (responsible) drinks with your friends. You’re also paying to have a good time.
Learn from others' mistakes.
This is a biggie. Don’t just learn from your own mistakes - that is important - but also learn from others. That girl drank too much and was the hub of Snapchat stories on campus? Yeah, don’t do that. That cute guy in your class skipped a bunch of classes and is now failing? Don’t dumb yourself down to get his attention and skip class too; just hang out with him. There is so much to learn at school and so much you can learn from simply watching others; take advantage of this.
Grow up.
You aren’t in high school anymore. Leave the pettiness behind you and learn how to act like an adult, because whether you like it or not, you are an adult now. Learn how to take care of yourself, how to deal with people that you don’t like that much and vice versa. College is the perfect time to learn how to manage your emotions.
Love.
It may sound like a cliche, and it kind of is, but learn to love. Love your friends, love your company, love where you are, fall in love, and love what you do. Nobody is ever as happy as they can be by faking friendships and pretending to love what they plan on doing for the rest of their lives. Find friends that love you unconditionally, make you a better person, and push you in all the right ways. Fall in love with somebody that is patient, kind, loves you with his whole heart and is willing to do anything for you. Love everything about your life, but most importantly, love yourself.
Call home.
I get it. Family is not always the most important thing on your list while you are away at college, but remember that you wouldn’t have gotten to where you are without them. Call home every now and again. Not just your parents, but your siblings and your grandparents. Grandparents love random phone calls from their grandchildren. Just let your family know you still think of them now and again. Tell them you love them; it is important.
Budget.
Oh. My. Gosh. Save your money. Please. I beg you. a number of times that I wish I hadn’t spent money on that cute new shirt, even though it was on sale, are infinite. Books are expensive. Food is expensive. Doing fun things with friends is expensive. Things are expensive. Work your tail off in the summer and earn lots of cash. It’ll disappear a lot faster than you anticipated. Along with that, budget. Know how expensive your books will be both semesters. Work a few hours a week at school to earn a little bit of extra cash. Budget for food because college food generally sucks. You’ll appreciate frozen dinners soon enough.
Work out and eat as healthy as possible.
Whether you are an athlete or not, work out. The Freshman 15 (more accurately seven to 10 pounds) is so real. You may not realize it, especially if you are an athlete, but dining options are limited and the amount of money you can spend on food is limited as well. Work out and eat as much healthy stuff as you can. Again, options will be limited, but make the most of it. Fried versus grilled? Grilled. Fruit and yogurt versus ice cream? Fruit. You can indulge every now and again, but watch what you eat. Your metabolism slows down, trust me.
Most of all, enjoy the college experience. Yeah, the real world is scary, but college keeps you (semi) shielded for a little while longer. Take all the chances and opportunities in the world. Fall on your face a couple times, but pick yourself up. Learn a lot and let yourself learn. Let yourself not have a care in the world sometimes, but take care of your responsibilities. Enjoy these next four years; they are some of the best years you’ll have.
