Hello college-self,

How are you? Tired, I know, but give me a different answer. Everyone always says tired, stressed or both. Tests, projects and homework are always stressing us out as college students. But how are you? Honestly.

I am on top of the world.

How many college students say that? Not many, if any at all. Why do I say this? Well, as a college student, I am living on my own, hanging out with friends, taking classes (some easy, others not so much) and enjoying life. Yes, college is stressful, but there's so much more to school than homework and stressing over homework. Sure, we all have our late night study sessions or weekends where you don't leave the library, but we are so lucky!

We are living on our own, but we can still go home if we want to. We have everything we could need on campus all within walking distance. And when you get tired of dining hall food, you can drive off campus to go somewhere. As college students, we have it made. There's work that goes into being a student, but everyone says these are the best years of our life. These are the years where we are adults and get to make our own decisions, but we don't have to work 40-hour work weeks and pay a bunch of bills. Yes, some students do work in college and do have all these things on top of being a student, but even those people have their friends and campus organizations to get involved with.

When we aren't studying for tests or working on a last minute assignment for our 8 A.M. class, we can go for hike, take a road trip with friends or take a day to relax outside. Grab an Eno and your laptop and watch Netflix for a bit just because you can! Embrace the moments where you can enjoy school, rather than stressing over everything you have to do for class.

College has so many possibilities and so many things to get involved in. So, when I look back on my college-self, I don't want to tell people that college was stressful and hard. It is, but college is also fun! I am on top of the world because I am doing everything I love to do. I write for Odyssey, I'm involved in my sorority, I volunteer and I'm a member of the honors program. And I am taking art classes to pursue a career in Graphic Design. And when I want a break from it all, I can drive home for a weekend with my family. These are definitely the best years of your life so embrace them. Enjoy every second of every day, because it goes way too fast and you're going to want these years back.

Your future-self