To my freshman self on move-in day,

You are frantically picking and choosing what to pack for college and what to keep at home. Honestly, when did your closet grow to the size of mom’s? Does one guy really need 45 pairs of socks? Geez! You’re beginning to realize that you’ll need all the room in your car and mom’s van. Don’t worry. She’s more than willing to drive with you to school and back. There’s no way she’s missing this. You’re already lamenting the early morning drive and all of the tears, but you’ll get use to the drive and the tears all in due time. It’s getting late and you’re still not packed and everything seems like a mess and you have to hit the road in 6 hours. Sure enough, 6 hours later, the sun is up and at it and so should you.

You’ll drive around campus because you have no idea where you’re supposed to go, but by golly you are one of the first to show up. You and your mom find somewhere nice to park and hangout, check out the union. Then more cars will start driving around and you follow them with the hope that some of them will know where to go. Eventually, you’ll fall in line with the other cars. When it’s your turn to start unloading and moving in, of course you have to parallel park to get into position. Oh, why did it have to be parallel parking?? Why couldn’t there have been two free spaces instead of one? Welp. What’s more of a perfect day to learn how to parallel park than move-in day in front of all of your classmates?

After you are done thoroughly embarrassing yourself in front of the other incoming Freshmen, their parents, all of the residential hall staff, upperclassmen helping on move-in day, and the entire Admission’s Office *insert upside-down smiley face emoji*, you get to meet your roommate! You went potluck. You could’ve been paired with a murder or a punk rocker, but no. You got Zach. The guy was just as easy going as you were! Things are going to work out just fine. You meet Zach and his parents. You introduce him to your mom and sister. While the parents are making small talk, you and Zach are talking about what you should do with your room. Spur of the moment, you two will bunk your beds together and run off to Wal-Mart with your mom to buy an entertainment center. While you’re there, she’ll want to buy you two weeks of groceries and you’ll let her because she’s your mom and she’s worried. You’ll let your mom buy you some Wendy’s for lunch on your way back because she’s your mom and she’s worried. I guess she thought you forgot how to eat? Nevertheless, you eat Wendy’s and head back to campus.

You’ll have to go to this hall you don’t know the name of and sit with people you just met to listen to people you don’t yet know the importance of. You’ll sit there with your mom and you’ll listen to these speeches, trying to absorb every word, but you’ll look back on the whole day and remember it as one exhilarating blur. This is the day you fly from the nest and take the first step to the rest of your life. You’ll leave that one hall you have yet to learn the name of, you’ll hug your mom, and promise you’ll call. And you will.

It’s been a few years, so remembering isn’t that hard. It’ll only get harder from here.

One thing is for sure, you’ll never forget the important things of that day. You’ll never forget the thrill of moving in and meeting so many new people. You’ll never forget finding the friends that will become your best friends, and before you know it, those best friends becoming family. Most importantly, you’ll never forget the look of heartbreak on your dear mother’s face and the tears streaming from her eyes as you say your final goodbye for the day. It won’t be the last time that you’ll see that look and those tears. It won’t get any easier either. Trust me.

So you go and you move in. Make friends with your roommate. Make new friends that aren’t your roommate. Listen to all of the welcome speeches. Go to all the events with free food. And when it comes time, give your mom a nice, big hug in front of all of your soon-to-be friends.

Here’s to the greatest years to come.

Best regards,

Senior Year Me