Dear Soon-to-be Graduate,

The moment you’ve been waiting for, and working towards, for years is approaching fast - scary fast. Despite being a breath away from the greatest achievement of your life (thus far), all that’s running through your head is a ticker-tape of memories on repeat. What about all of those wild nights, running around with friends? Or all of those all-nighters in the library, squeezing every ounce of effort from your brain?

Your entire life is about to change, and while some changes might be welcome, others are terrifying. Let me share some hard-learned lessons from my first year post-graduation so that your transition might be easier: some of the things you are afraid of will come true, but so could all of your wildest dreams.

So, what if you miss all of your friends? The answer is: you will. You are going to lose some friends. Some of them will go quietly, slipping out of your life and taking care to shut the door gently behind them. Others will storm away angry and bitter, taking pieces of you with them and leaving you longing for simpler days when you used to walk to class together. It isn’t possible to know who will stick around and who will drift away; the people you see as your best friends now might be the first forget you, and those you only knew in passing might become your greatest confidantes.

Instead of ruminating on the friendships you could lose, take a deep breath, and enjoy the relationships you have cultivated here, in the moment, now. No matter what comes next, your college friends helped you grow from a dainty freshman to a confident soon-to-be graduate, independent and ready to take control of your own life. For every person who leaves your life, there is room for someone else to come into it. You can keep a special place in your heart and all of the fond memories of your college family, but know that new friendships lie ahead for you, too.

What if this job you have lined up isn’t all you’ve dreamed about? Well, it might not be. But the good news is, you are only a 20-something that has years of your life left to build your career. If you skipped to the highest point right away, you’d miss out on the adventure of figuring out what you really want to do. Be patient with yourself, but know that you never have to be stuck; other avenues are available to you if you do not like the road you are on.

Now, instead of mulling over these worries, I dare you to think about something different: what if every mistake and mishap leads you to right to where you need to be? What if those broken relationships drove you to the cafe around the corner for a comforting coffee, only to bump into someone you haven’t seen from childhood? What if that job that didn’t work out led you to a position you’d never considered originally, but absolutely love? What if something good happens? Sooner or later, I promise you, it will.

The first six months after graduation were some of the hardest months of my life, and the next six? Well, the second part of that year, I wouldn’t trade for anything. Your life will constantly go through unpredictable waves of good, bad, ugly, and in between. You might as well lean into the current and enjoy the ride. I hope you dive right into your new life with as much excitement as your brought to your first days in college.

Best wishes,

Meghan