College is hard. There's no way around that. It's a lot of tears, a lot of long hours in the library, and a lot of laundry your mom isn't there to do for you. But college is also one of the most humbling and amazing experiences you'll ever live through.
Sure, when you're questioning all of your life decisions at 3 a.m. while binge-watching the entire eighth season of How I Met Your Mother and blowing off that final paper you were supposed to start two weeks ago, you may not think so (it's OK, Mom, I never did that. I swear). But I promise you, it's all worth it.
Sure, the parties are wild and the people you meet will make you laugh. Sure, the boys are cute and the insane amount of freedom will literally drive you crazy because you won't know what to do with yourself. Sure, all of that is good and fun. It's what you expect out of college.
But then there's something else, the parts of college you don't see. The parts of college that are so profound they make you cry (happy tears this time). The parts of college that shape you and break you and turn you into someone you can smile at in the mirror. The parts of college that no words could ever do justice. The parts you have to experience firsthand in order to wrap your head around the immense gravity that is college itself.
The first time you crush a paper and see a big fat A in your gradebook, you'll wonder why no other perfect score ever felt so good.
The first time something really clicks for you -- and I mean, really clicks for you -- in math, you'll be so thankful you didn't give up on it.
The first time you nail an interview, you'll be grateful you actually paid attention in that public speaking class even though you wanted to disappear.
The first time you meet someone who feels like an extension of your soul, you'll understand why no one else in your life ever made you feel the way they do.
The first time you connect with a professor on a personal level, you'll be touched that someone saw in you what you couldn't see in yourself.
The first time you truly struggle on your own, with no one there to comfort you but yourself, you'll be appreciative of everything your mother does for you and never take her for granted again.
The first time you sit in a desk and realize that now is the only moment you're ever going to have, you'll stop wishing for tomorrow. You'll stop hoping for what ifs. You'll quit wondering what's next. You'll live for yourself, and you'll live in the now.
Yeah, college is hard. College may be one of the hardest things you'll ever go through. The weight of adulthood on your shoulders mixed with the looming reminder that you're still just a kid will make for some of the most confusing four years of your life.
But you're here, and you can do it.
And when you stand up on that stage and receive your degree -- looking out at the hundreds of people witnessing your success, knowing that many of these faces are the reason you're here today -- you'll never wonder how you did it. You'll just be really freaking happy you did.
So enjoy the now, freshmen, and welcome to the best four years of your life. Oh, and by the way, good luck.
You're gonna need it.
