Dear Freshman Year,
As the months turn into weeks and the weeks turn into days until our time together comes to an end, I want to take a few moments to thank you. There have been countless times throughout the past several months where I hated you and wished you would be over with. However, as summer creeps closer upon us and I am getting ready to become a Sophomore, I can’t help but look back and notice all of the wonderful things you have done for me.
Freshman Year, the opportunities you have presented me with since our journey first began in August have been more than I could have ever asked or hoped for. I've joined clubs on campus and participated in events that have given me so much purpose and overall joy. Thank you for allowing me the chance to find my true passions, and giving me the confidence to actually share them with others.
Speaking of others, thank you for introducing me to some of the most amazing, supportive and wonderful people I have ever met. I can hardly imagine what my life was like before you brought me together with the people who are now my best friends. That being said, thank you for also showing me who doesn’t want to, and doesn’t deserve to, be a part of my life anymore. It must not have been easy trying to convince me that it is okay to let friendships go and create new ones, but you have definitely succeeded in that effort. For this, I thank you.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thank you for all of the times you made me cry. I can’t count the days and nights I would spend hunched over my computer screen or curled up on my floor, cursing you through my tears as a new found college stress consumed my life. I’m starting to find, though, that my first year of college would not have been nearly as beneficial without those anxious breakdowns. Because of them, I not only am a much more patient person but I also know that Economics is definitely not a career path I would like to follow.
It seems almost unbelievable to me now that when I was preparing to come to college, I firmly believed I wouldn't change as a person. Thank you for showing me that change, no matter how terrifying it may be, isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Lastly, thank you for the little things. Like the FaceTime conversations with my Grandma, which made me miss home more than ever but also made me appreciate it significantly more. Thank you for the spontaneous movie dates with my best friend when we’ve both had the worst days of our lives. Thank you for introducing me to instant Ramen and the quiet floor of the library. Both of which have become my all-nighter go-tos. Thank you for all the amazing memories you’ve given me in such a short period of time (which went by faster than I ever expected it to). The courage and confidence I have gained in the past months will stay with me forever and for that, I thank you.
Sincerely,
Almost A Sophomore
