To The ____ College Freshman:

First off, congrats on making the choice to go to college. Whether your parents went to college or if you're a first-generation college student you've worked hard and you've earned the awesome ability to be at a university and learn and grow in ways that you probably don't think that you will. There are lots of different opportunities to go after once high school ends and its awesome that you have the ability to go to college!

To the excited college freshman,

All I have to say is you should be so excited about being on your own, but being on your own requires a lot of responsibility, I'm sure you're sick of this talk from your parents, listening to unsolicited advice from your aunts or uncles or older cousins about responsibility but it's a big deal to make sure you eat, you're well-rested, and you get your stuff done with the freedom you've been given in college. I know when I was a freshman I didn't think anything about it but honestly, it's a miracle I went to class some days. Being excited about your freedom is one thing but also freedom comes with a responsibility that some people don't think about. You gotta do your own laundry, make sure there's gas in your car, and make sure you're going to class every day even when you don't want to. Again, you should be excited, but get ready for a lot of responsibility!

To the nervous or overwhelmed college freshman,

Let's just take a second and breathe, I know that you're probably nervous about many different things. Will people like me? Am I taking out too many loans? How will I be able to do all of this on my own? What do I do if ______ happens? Will I be able to rush the sorority or fraternity I want to rush? Will I be able to afford the sorority or fraternity? I don't want to do Greek life, will I still get a good college experience? I have to get a job, can I work on campus?

The main thing I want to say to you is that you are not alone. People will like you, just be 100% who you are and who you want to be every day. If you're worried about the financial burden of college go and talk to a money coach on campus or talk to financial aid because there are people in your corner who want to see you succeed. If you're worried about doing this by yourself... well I have to tell you that you won't be by yourself because you have a whole lot of people who are rooting for you, including me. Reach out to your friends and your parents or even those aunts, uncles, or cousins that were giving you unsolicited advice, because they care and want you to do well. Also, you really can't do it by yourself because humans are naturally very community-oriented creatures. Greek life is a wonderful thing, but it is not the only thing you can get involved in on campus. You can get involved in so many clubs and intramural sports (Where you can relive your high school sport glory days) or just leave the door to your dorm room open and let people come in and out. If you join a sorority or fraternity they tell you how much it will cost upfront. If it's too much then you can leave that organization and find one of the other 100+ organizations on campus, and a lot of them are free to be apart of. (yay we love free stuff!!!!) If you're not in Greek life I promise it won't be the end of the world, you can get involved in so many other things that will allow you to have leadership experience that you may not get from Greek life. If you want to find a job, look for one and maybe ask around to see if anyone knows a place that is hiring on campus and use their name as a reference!

To the I have no idea what I want to major in college freshman,

I didn't know what I wanted to do either and that is 100% okay, here's a fun fact: the first two years of college everyone, for the most part, is taking the same basic set of classes before going into their major course work. You have time to figure it out. I decided that I wanted to be a sociology minor after taking a sociology class my first year at OU because I thought it was the most interesting thing that I had ever learned about. I love sociology. I went into OU being a double major in finance and entrepreneurship but after realizing how much I hate math and how bad I actually am at math I decided to change. I'm super passionate about Communication, I feel like a lot of people struggle to communicate now and I think that my degree really suits me because I love communicating with people (Obviously, I mean I am an odyssey writer.) Find something that you're passionate about, and stick with it. This is a time in your life where you learn what you enjoy and what you don't. Have things that spark joy in your life!

College is hard, but honestly, it's one of the most lifechanging things you will do because you will learn not only in the classroom but also from the people you encounter at your university. You can do it. Keep going, and you'll end up on top.