Dear future Lasya,

I hope you are doing well. Everything back here is going just fine. Right now there’s a lot going on. While on the outside I may seem very calm and composed, on the inside, I am anything but. Currently, I’m feeling a lot of emotions. I’m feeling happy that high school is coming to a finish and that I somehow miraculously got into college. On the other hand, I’m feeling sad that I won’t be able to hang out with some of my closest friends anymore on a daily basis. And then there’s the fear that I probably made the wrong choice regarding my major and that I probably won’t be making any friends when I get to college. But you know, no big deal.

Everything is just swell.

The purpose of this letter is to hopefully bring your spirits up. I know things are probably crazy right now in college. In the midst of doing all the work that you have probably procrastinated in doing and trying to figure out what your next step in life is, you probably are having a complete meltdown right now. And that’s why I’m writing this letter to you... to offer you some of the wisdom that I have gained throughout the past four years.

One of the main things that we have learned in high school is that being normal is OK. You don’t have to be a genius. You don’t have to have a great talent. You don’t have to be super social. You don’t have to be anything but you. As long as you stay true to yourself everything will be OK. Follow what you believe in and have faith in yourself.

Another piece of advice is that it’s OK to mess up.

It’s fine if you end up failing an exam. It’s fine if you mess up. Just live in the moment. Learn to appreciate your mistakes and your successes equally. You are your hardest critic because you know yourself and your capabilities the best. But just don’t be too harsh on yourself.

Think about yourself first and then about others. While this may seem selfish, it really isn’t. You should be your first priority. Everyone else comes second. Remember, you can only make the people around you happy if you are happy.

Ignore the haters.

Somebody will always have something to say about you, and that shouldn’t be something that you should dwell on. Instead of wondering how you can change yourself for them, think about how you can better yourself for you. The only way to fight hate is with love, not with more hate. So just love yourself.

Finally, just have fun.

College is the perfect place to find who you truly are. Just live life to the fullest, whether that means going out or whether that means staying in and reading a book, you do whatever you please.

I hope that my cliche words of wisdom have helped you calm yourself down. Just remember to just keep going and everything will sort itself out.

With love,

Your past self