Dear Freshman Year,

I would like to start off by saying thank you for challenging me this year in ways that I had never been challenged before. You challenged me socially, mentally, and probably most importantly intellectually. I may not have emerged with a 4.0 but I know I have emerged with an insurmountable amount of growth.

I was warned prior to making my decision to commute to a school in Manhattan that socially it would be a lot more difficult. I was told that being involved is an integral part of meeting new people and feeling at home at the school; both of which are completely true. Freshman year, you taught me how valuable joining clubs is in connecting with those around you. I would be lying if I said the first semester wasn't tough. I made friends in my classes but other than hanging around in between classes interaction didn't really go beyond the classroom. It wasn't that I didn't want to be more involved, I'm just not very outgoing and the idea of stepping outside of my comfort zone was paralyzing. But I knew I had to join organizations campus if I wanted my school to be my school, and I could not be anymore grateful that I had. Not only has being involved made me feel a greater sense of belonging, but I've grown so much as person because of this in only one semester. Being pushed outside of my comfort zone has made me more outgoing, and dare I even say happier.

Whether you commute to school or live in a dorm that's a plane ride away I'm sure most freshman would agree that it can mentally grueling. Being separated from fends that have been there for as long as you can remember when you're going through the biggest change of your life thus far. Or the fact that all of sudden your actions have consequences that you must deal with. All this change at once can be extremely overwhelming and take a major toll on one's sanity. It was hard to deal with the new things in my life and still find what was going to make me happy,but overall it has made me a lot tougher mentally. Time management became a thing of the first time ever in my life (though it is something that I am still working on), but you have set me in the right direction. Facing adversity and challenges has become easier. I have learned how crucial it is to keep a balanced and opened mind when dealing with such things.

Lastly, I was intellectually challenged like I had evener been before. On the first day of my communications class I was convinced that I would not make it out aloof. It wasn't so much the speaking to an audience that scared me, it was the fact that I would have to write my own speech and speak on my own ideas, which was terrifying. But being forced to do this made me think outside of the box and ultimately nourished my mind. By the last speech I actually had fun delivering it. I have developed an even deeper hate for math thanks to Calculus but am also grateful that it had pushed me to my limits both literally and figuratively and taught me that working toward understanding something can pay off. My mind had grown more in the past year than I could've ever imagined.

As I write this in the midst of studying for what will be the final tests or my freshman year I have nothing but gratitude in my heart. Freshman year has pushed me beyond my boundaries and truly changed me in a way that I can never go back from. I've frown so much in the past 9 months and for that I say Thank you Freshman year.

Sincerely,

A grateful soon-to-be sophomore