Dear First Semester Friends,

I know I’ve said this a lot and I may sound cheesy saying it. But thank you. You may or may not know the impact that you’ve made on my life the first three months of college. I walked in on move-in day not sure what to expect. When I received my key, I also received a long list of orientation events. Attending these events overwhelmed me to the point of near breakdown. Having the same conversation over and over again drove me insane, and I was very much tired of saying my hometown (which I usually love talking about) and my intended major. But as I lost hope in finding my niche, things began to fall into place.

Thank you for being there in the right place at the right time. I constantly think of how we met, and how things would have changed if even one factor was different. Bumping into each other at the bookstore, on the Main Green, and the other random places, started something none of us saw coming. It was the beginning of it all, and we’ve come a long way from those first two weeks of the semester.

Thank you for showing me new music, among other things. You opened up my tastes in music, books, topics, etc. Even if I have taken over our collaborative Spotify playlist (not sorry), I know I can always come to you asking for suggestions in music, TV shows, movies, etc. Not only do you guys give the best advice in pop culture, but also in life. You know exactly what to say when I’m worried about even the most superficial things.

Thank you for staying up with me. The best nights are when we just sit for hours. Sometimes it’s silent as we do work, but the social effect is a big reason I get any work done. Other times it’s so loud with laughter that the RPL has to come tell us to be quiet. You are the only people I can be as crazy as I want without any judgement. Our conversations know no bounds, and we talk about everything from bands to morality and religion. And let’s not forget about those concert tickets we bought at 1am while we were slightly delirious from lack of sleep.

Thank you for not letting me eat alone. (Most days) we coordinate our lunches and dinners so that we have each other to eat with, even if we’re doing work through dinner. And it extends beyond that. I always know that, even if I have to beg a little, someone will always be willing to sit next to me in the library, or grab a study room. And to be completely honest, those days of being in the study rooms for 8 hours straight have brought out the best and worst in all of us, and the best group mottos have come from them.

Thank you for listening to me. I talk. A lot. But you’ve listened to me. You’ve listened to me complain about my classes, the dining hall food, dorm problems, and everything in between. You’ve listened to me obsess over boys and stress over what to wear. And you always have the best responses, because you always tell me like it is, even when I don’t want to hear it. Thus, our list of quotes was born. And it is legendary.

Lastly, thank you for showing me how amazing college is. Over the holidays, all my

family kept saying was that everything just keeps getting better after first semester. And that means that this was just the beginning. And I’m excited to see what’s coming for us.