Dear College Freshman,

Right now I am sure that you are packing up your stuff for this new exciting adventure. I am sure you are feeling a huge range of emotions. You're probably nervous, excited, anxious, and most likely a little worried. I know that all sorts of questions are running through your head right now. What will my room look like? What will my random roommate be like? How long will it take me to find that group of friends everyone says I will find? Is college food really going to be as bad as everyone says it is? What will life be like without seeing my family every day? Well, let me tell you that everything you are feeling and thinking is totally normal. I am not going to tell you not to worry, but I do want to give you some advice. So here it goes:

Go and do something you never thought you would do. Some of my best memories and some of my best friends came from getting out of my comfort zone and exploring things I never thought I would like. It sounds cliche, I know, but just trust me on this one. Always be open to trying new things, whether that be an experience, class, or a different food. Make new memories every single day. Explore the town or city outside of campus too. Get out of that silly little comfort zone.

That being said, do not forget about old ties back home too. Call your parents every once in awhile. They want to know what's happening in your life. And believe it or not, your parents are a wealth of knowledge. Do not be ashamed to call them and ask for help or advice. When you are not sure how to get a stain out of your favorite white sweater, call them. When you are stressed out about a class and need to vent, call them. If you feel like you want to call them, just do it. Do not be embarrassed about it, trust me. In college, I finally realized how awesome my parents are and you will too.

Please do not forget that you are going to college to get an education. One of the things I regret the most is that I got so wrapped up in all of the organizations I had joined and spending time with my floor-mates that I did not put as much time or effort into my schoolwork as I wanted. This reflected in my grades and also brought my GPA down. And unfortunately, your GPA does count for a lot in the future. It is really easy to get caught up in the excitement of campus life, but do not let your grades take a hit because of it. On the other hand, sometimes it is necessary to let go of your schoolwork a little. You should not be staying in every single night and studying or you will burn yourself out. It is really important to try and find that balance. But if you make mistakes, don't worry about it; you have time to figure things out.

I am so incredibly excited for you and this exciting adventure you are starting! It is going to be so different than you are imagining. It will be overwhelming at times. It will be amazing at times. Some days you will stay awake working on a paper until three in the morning after you have already had a day that made you cry. Twice. Some days you will go sledding down a huge hill on campus at midnight with some of your newfound best friends. There will be days when you are dragging yourself to your 8am class for a test you are not prepared for and there will be days when you are jumping for joy and hitting the snooze button again because your morning class was cancelled. You are going to meet some amazing people and some not so amazing people. You are going to learn so much about yourself and the world around you. And, while it may seem a little overwhelming, and I cannot help you with everything, I can tell you one thing for certain: you are going to love every single second of it. I can also tell you that it's going to fly by and soon you will find that you are a college senior, giving advice to a college freshman.

Sincerely,

College Senior