Dear sister,

You’ll be 18 soon and before you know it, sitting in a chair on your first day of freshman year of college. As this happens, I’ll be sitting down for my junior year of college. In other words, I’m still doing the college thing, and there are still a few things I’m trying to figure out. With that being said, from the summer after your senior year of high school up until the summer before your sophomore year of college, you will learn more about adulting in those 12 months altogether than you’ve ever learned before in your life. I’ve decided to compile a list of things that I’ve learned in this period, with the possibility of sparing you the time of having to learn them yourself.

• The summer before college first starts will be a major money-making endeavor. Every time you get paid, automatically take out any money needed for your loan payment for that month. The next time you get paid, try to double the amount you saved the first time in order to stay ahead of the game. Also, keep a jar handy. Anytime you get pocket change, toss it in. Toss any spare twenties you don’t absolutely need in with it. At the end of the summer, take the coins to a Coinstar machine and turn those into another twenty or two. At this time, you should have a jar of twenties you can pull out for gas, food, etc for at least the next couple of months.
• Don’t rush to get a job while in school right away. If you have a summer job, make sure to quit about a week before school starts- you’ll want that breather in between to get your life together. Don’t rush to get a job for at least several weeks into starting school- defer to your jar of twenties instead. That got me by for a good long time.
• When you do decide to get a job, look for ON-CAMPUS jobs only. Those jobs will only let you work a minimum number of hours so that you are not overwhelmed and so you can plan according to your class schedule. Also, do NOT work more than ten hours a week starting out. I worked eight hours a week first semester of freshman year and even that got a little stressful.
• Find at least one and no more than two low-maintenance student-run campus organizations to join first semester. Don’t rush to sign up for any time-consuming internships or co-ops just yet, but you will want to begin the process of joining things that you are passionate about and building networks with those people early on. Resume-building is a HUGE part of college.
• If you can, volunteer. Elementary schools, animal shelters, wherever. Most will let you do as little as 1-2 hours per week. Looks great on a resume and lets employers know you’re not always in it for the money.
• Make a list of everything you will need going into freshman year. You’re living off campus, BUT this also means you’re going to be spending a lot of time out and about instead of at home in your room. Consider things like Advil, PEPPER SPRAY, cough drops for the cold season, bottles of water, headphones, a flash drive, an umbrella, Tums, gum or mints (mint helps wake you up AND chewing gum while you study helps you retain information for a test), chapstick, lotion, etc. You’ll need a Mary Poppins bag. Load up on obscure office supplies, even if you don’t think you’ll need it- post-its, a stapler, white-out, etc. Avoid artsy stuff like markers, but colored pens are GREAT for helping you organize. Speaking of which- BUY A GOOD PLANNER. TJ Maxx has great ones for really cheap. I didn’t buy one before freshman year and it definitely affected my time management skills. Go shopping every time you get paid this summer and just buy a few things here and there at a time. You won’t have to buy nearly as much as I did since I lived on campus, so count that as a blessing.
• I know you. You will need to get coffee almost every day before coming to class. DO NOT go to Starbucks. There is a True North up the street from us with 99 cent coffees and cards that get hole punched so you get every 6^th coffee for free- do that. P.S. The ladies there are really nice and will usually punch your card more than once so you get your free one quicker!
• Speaking of early mornings, DO NOT sign up for 8 a.m.'s. IT IS A TRAP. I REPEAT. A TRAP. 9:30 should be your earliest class. You will not be able to wake up as early as you did for high school. Your ability to do that ends the second you get that diploma.
• Something Dad told me before starting college- make friends with your professors. You can do that in college and it not be weird. Visit their office hours, talk to them after class, and PARTICIPATE. I know you’re a little quiet, and this will be difficult at first- but participating in class lands you HUGE points with your professors. You will also need to build friendships because the closer you are with your professors, the more likely they are to not give you a hard time when you need to miss class or when you need a deadline extended. It’ll also make them much more willing to give you contact information as a reference for your resume!
• Something else Dad told me before college: When he was in the navy, he used to take one day off a week to not do any homework or work of any kind- usually a Saturday or Sunday. I do this, and you’ll need to, also.
• TO DESTRESS: On your day off, take walks. Write in a journal. Play with our puppy. Read a book. Take a bath. Mediate. Let go of everything else.
• Something else Dad told me before starting college- don’t get pregnant.
• During Syllabus week (AKA first day of class), bring highlighters, post its, whatever you need. It will be very boring but Syllabus week/day is one of the most important times of the semester- it’s not like high school where everyone’s syllabus is exactly the same and all they’re doing is telling you not to kill each other. The syllabi of college professors all look completely different from one another. TWO IMPORTANT THINGS TO TAKE NOTE OF: How many absences are allowed and when their office hours are.
• You will have a school e-mail address. Change your settings on your phone to alert you EVERY TIME you get an e-mail from school. You will need to check this e-mail several times a day.
• Make the CONSCIOUS EFFORT to make friends your first several weeks of classes. This can be a challenge- but you’ll regret it if you don’t. Ask your new friends questions about their lives- where they’re from, why they’re here, and so forth. Invest time in them. PEOPLE ARE WAY NICER IN COLLEGE- PROFESSORS AND STUDENTS ALIKE. Do the same to everyone else.
• Don’t spend too much time back at home. You’re commuting, so you’ll be spending a lot of time on campus between coming home only to eat and sleep here, and that’s ok. Your high school friends are doing their own thing now, too. Keep in touch, but focus on your new life.
• Take a free afternoon by yourself OR with one friend (AKA me) to explore your campus for an hour or two. Find your secret nap spot and the best places to buy food. It’s fun and you’ll learn so much!

To conclude, this list is very narrow. I have so much more I could tell you, but this is the important stuff. Has anyone ever told you that high school would be the happiest time of your life? Some people told me that, and they were SO WRONG. It’s college. You’re in for a hell of a time.

Never before in your life will you be around so many interesting people from all over the world studying everything under the sun together. Know them. Build relationships with them. Have fun with them. Keep your mind WIDE OPEN. You will learn WAY more about how the world works than about academia. You’ll love it. You’ll stress but you’ll have so much fun and I’m so happy for you. And I’ll of course be right around the corner (literally) for any questions you might have.

P.S. Chances are slim to none that I’ll be able to buy you a half way decent present for graduation, so I hope you enjoy this. I love you!