Dear incoming college freshmen,
Congratulations! You did it! You are leaving high school to join the thousands of kids who also made the decision to further their education involving $200 textbooks, countless nights spent studying and a lifetime of coffee. Kidding! (About the nights spent studying, that is.) Freshman year is a doozy—there’s so much to learn, so many people to meet and just so much to get used to. Just a year ago I was in your shoes, getting ready to pack up my entire life and cram it into a small room to share with another person. And that’s really scary to think about.
College is crazy. Period. It is almost nothing like high school where your whole day is structured into school -> practice/activities -> homework -> bed -> repeat. You will find yourself rolling out of bed at 11:50 for a class at 12 only to come back to your dorm and take a nap at two. And in college, that's considered normal!
The one thing that is the same in college as it is in high school is that you do actually have to (or you should) do your homework, contrary to popular belief. College isn’t all fun and [drinking] games. You are there not just to grow up and have a good time but really to get a degree. My mom reminds me of this all the time, but it’s true.
You are going to have fun. It may not seem like it those first couple nights when you don’t really have any friends, but give it time. You’re going to get stressed and upset and tired and everything else under the sun, but believe me when I say you won’t be the only one. College is fun, but it’s also really hard. Living with other people is fun, but it’s also really hard. And trust me when I say that all of your friends from high school that are posting pictures with their “new best friends” from their college are just as stressed and lonely as you are.
If there’s one thing I would tell myself a year ago it would be that it’s perfectly normal to feel nervous in this completely new environment, but don’t let that hold you back. You might miss out on some really great people and opportunities. Everyone else will be just as nervous as you, so don’t feel like you are the only one who hasn’t adjusted yet. Try to embrace everything, from the awkward orientation games they force you to play to meeting people in your classes. The food might be horrible, but the person sitting next to you may/probably will think the exact same thing, so strike up a conversation with them. For all you know, that could be your new best friend.
I can’t tell you everything you need to know about going to college, because, like life, you need to learn a lot of things on your own. Make your own mistakes. Join that club you might be interested in. Leave your door open. Call your parents every now and then. Some of your best memories will come in plenty of time, and when they do, make sure you take a moment to cherish them. College is supposed to be some of the best years of your life. It is what you make it, so if that’s hanging out on the quad 24/7 or cooping yourself up in your room every night, then so be it. This is your last free pass before you actually really have to grow up, so enjoy it.
Love,
A former college freshman
