I'm sure you've heard this saying at least twenty times already, so I'm going to say it again, but tell you something else. "You've got time, don't worry about it."Soooo yeah. As much as I'd like to say don't worry about it, it's still going to happen, so I'm not even going to open that door. What I do want to tell you, though, is four years may seem like a long time and you may think you do actually have time, but I'm here to tell you otherwise. You will still have 365 days four times, with one of those years being 366, but when you get to college, I think someone hits then fast forward button. Even with how long the Mondays and 8 a.m. classes are, that time is going to be gone in the blink of any eye. It will be over and done faster than you can imagine.

I can still remember the day I moved into my first room as a freshman. I had bronchitis and thought I was going to die of a heat stroke in my non-air conditioned hall. I didn't though, I made it through that day and every day after. From meeting my first friend at WT to having my first kiss to having my heart broken to leaving the country for the first timeto getting my first B to joining various organizations to finding myself, trashing that version, and finding a new self, all of it happened in less than four years. And it went by so fast. Some days I can only vaguely remember some adventures with my main friend group and other days I remembered some of the absolutely insane crazy things we all did together, those memories are as clear as day!

So, my dear sweet freshman who just finished your first year of college, don't get stuck in the mindset that you have time. Live like you don't have time and love every moment of it. It may seem like you are serving a very long sentence and you can't wait to be done with it, but they say these are the best years of your life.... do you want to squander them away or enjoy every last minute of it? Every day is a new opportunity to make a friend, take an adventure, learn something new (who knew, right?) and to figure out who you are and who you want to be (and start over again if you realize you don't like who you are!)

There are also so many opportunities that college has to offer that you cannot waste! Like traveling abroad and seeing some of the amazing things the world has to offer (and learning about the culture or food or language beforehand or during the trip!) or befriending people from around the world and getting that experience. You can read books, see performances, create, live, love, do so many things you may not get to do in the real world, all in a little place in a little (sometimes) town that has its own little town (I feel like WT could actually be its own town sometimes) with people from all over the world. Don't waste your time, live in the moment in every moment and then walk across that stage and walk into a new stage of life and love it too.

Love, a senior who wishes she had done more.