Dear Incoming College Freshmen,
I know that right now your head is swimming with the endless possibilities that college might bring- new friends, new experiences, classes you (might) actually want to take, quirky professors, raging frat parties, lukewarm Bud Lights- all that good stuff. Right now, your hometown seems dull and monotonous. It feels like it's always the same old routine, the same old people, and the same old places. You can’t wait to leave and "blossom", "break the mold", "leave the nest", "break out of your cocoon", "grow into a magnificent tree" and whatnot.
Before you start flying away, though, let me stop you right there.
Now you’re probably asking yourself, “Who does this girl think she is, and why is she inhibiting the flourishment of my personal development?”
Well, it just so happens that a year ago, this girl was feeling exactly the same way that you are. I was so sure that going to college would magically solve all of my problems; that I would transform into an entirely different person and that I would basically be leaving my hometown forever, and good riddance!
And I was so, so wrong.
During those last couple of months after my senior year of high school, I became so focused on who I wanted to be, what I wanted to do, who I wanted to meet and where I wanted to go that I completely overlooked who I was, what I was doing, who I was with, and where I was.
Everything, absolutely everything, was eclipsed by the looming idea of College. Caution was thrown to the winds- I'd probably do even crazier things in college. An argument that would have previously been resolved was now left open ended- I was going to college, after all, and would never see this person again. Even the twinge of frustration I felt when my parents wouldn’t let me go out with my friends became easy to brush away, with the imminent promise of unlimited freedom ahead of me.
Now, where am I going with all this rambling?
I'm bringing you to this point: live in the moment. You'll have so much time once you get to college to worry about college. On the other hand, you only get to be a recently graduated high school senior once. Go out with your friends for the heck of it- not because it’s another goodbye dinner that feels like a funeral. Talk, truly talk and listen to your family. Spend some quality time with them, and show them you love them. I promise you, the only people who will miss you more than your dog will, are your parents and siblings. If you’re feeling bored, go back to your favorite hometown haunts- even if your college looks like a Club Med, there's literally no way it can ever replicate the uniqueness of your hometown.
Don’t leave any loose ties, because let’s face it: this is your home. College is an amazing experience. Changes will be made. Friends will be lost and gained. Classes will be passed (or failed). Fights and stress-induced breakdowns will be had. Parties will be attended. Significant Others might be encountered.
But through it all, home will be home. It’ll still be the place where your people live. The people who have seen it all and know you best. The people who saw you in those awful pre-pubescent years and somehow still liked you. It'll still be the place where your childhood memories live, and where your dog wags its tail when it sees you walk through the door.
It’s not until you go away to college that you truly understand that old saying: “home is where the heart is”. So these last couple of pre-college months, enjoy your home. Revisit all the reasons as to why your heart is there. Don’t wait until it’s too late to realize it.
Sincerely yours,
A rising sophomore who wishes somebody had told her this about a year ago
