To the new freshman girl,
I know you're trying this out for the first time, and I know you're trying to learn exactly how to be independent. I was in your shoes a few years ago. I know it sounds cliché and you've probably heard it a million times, but the time you spend in school goes so fast and you're going to miss the times here. But with that being said, don't be in a rush to grow up.
Don't let the stress of college ruin your sense of being a kid. Even though you may be asked to do a lot more than you're used to, and you may have to take on a sense of independence that you haven't experienced yet. But that doesn't mean you have to give up your teenaged ambitions, and your childlike sense of wonder. Just because you're in college now doesn't mean you're not allowed to like Disney movies. Just because you're looking for jobs and preparing a resumé, that doesn't mean you have to pretend you don't need your mom or pretend you don't feel like throwing a temper tantrum every time your professors throws a 150-page "supplementary assignment" at you the day before class.
As you grow up and experience more of the stresses and pains of adulthood that start in these next few years. You're going to have less netflix time, and probably spend more time than you'll ever admit pretending to do your readings but really checking Facebook. You're going to be stressed out, and you're going to probably find yourself holding back tears in the dining hall at least once as the semesters and years go on. College is stressful, and you're not the first or the last to do this. But I also want you to know that no matter how much stress you're under, and how badly you want to just quit while you can, keep pushing through it. Keep doing as much work as you can. Don't be too hard on yourself, everyone's in the same boat as you are. Other people don't have time to worry about what you're doing, because they're just as worried about themselves.
Take time to enjoy the moments and the memories you're making at this point. Take time to make new friends and try new things, because once you're actually forced to enter the adult world and be a functional member of society, things are probably going to get a lot less fun and a lot more stressful in different ways. Take the time to do something you wouldn't normally do, because that's what college is for. These are going to be some amazing times in your life, and they're hopefully going to be the years that are most definitive and promising for you to establish a sense of identity and independence for yourself apart from what your parents, teachers, and other people who raised you have instilled in you. Now is the time you get to make a name and an opportunity for yourself to make the future that will make you happy.
Happy first semester of many. I hope that your time in college will be exciting and eventful and that you will cherish every moment of it.
Love,
A junior who was in your shoes