Rachel,

You are eighteen, finally on your own and moved out of your parent's house (for the most part) and ready to take on college with full intentions of thriving in this new town. You're going to work your butt off to make those As and help your classmates succeed where you can. You're going to join a fabulous organization, taking on leadership opportunities as soon as you possibly can. You're going to meet so many new people and make some crazy memories with your new friends. Those crazy late nights when you're trying to sneak back into your room without waking your roommate and when you are downstairs with your floor mates being obnoxiously loud, laughing at pretty much everything are going to be highlights of your first year in college. You're going to feel like you have finally found your way and you'll be more excited to take on new challenges than you ever were before.

Unfortunately, you are also going to go through some rough times as well. Nothing is going to be as simple or as easy as it has been for you in the past. You're going to have professors that expect way too much out of you, piles of homework, constant studying, pressure to be involved in numerous activities and you probably won't have much money for anything fun. Your friends and sorority sisters are going to need you at your best, and of course you're going to want to give them the best version of yourself to help in any way that you can. You're going to over volunteer yourself and get frustrated when you realize you've spread yourself way too thin. The stress and pressure of that alone is going to wear you down, not to mention your own struggles you will deal with will also take a toll on you.

But, you are okay. You are, I promise. Everything is going to be a constant roller coaster ride, with ups and downs, sharp curves and dark tunnels, abrupt stops and tons of fear and excitement mixed together. But it is okay. It is perfectly normal to have a crazy freshman year, you're not much different than everyone else. Everyone around you is feeling the exact same way, use your resources and talk to people when you get overwhelmed. Don't take it upon yourself to hold everything in and fix it all yourself. You will fail. I can assure you that you will. You have to open up to those around you to help carry your load. You help everyone else, and I promise, all you have to do is ask for help and those who care about you will be there for you. You cannot expect that you can do everything alone because you can't.

You also need to remember to take everything in. Let yourself live in the present moment and make those memories with your friends. Make mistakes and learn from them. Enjoy everything about college and allow people around you to help you when times get tough. College is going to be so good for you and you're going to end up in the right place at the right time. You are going to be a wonderful teacher one day because everything you are learning, experiencing, stressing over, and understanding is preparing you for that next step after you graduate. Don't let the stress and negativity get you down too much because it is all for a reason. Use it to better yourself and learn from everything that you do.

Remember, call your mom every so often, keep in touch with old friends and enjoy the rest of your college years.