Dear Freshman Year,

It's so hard to believe that you are already coming to a close. It has been a whirlwind adventure, and certainly one that has come with big changes. It hasn't all been good, but if I could do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing. When I moved in to my dorm in August, I never could have guessed what was in store for me, but I have learned so much and have you to thank for that.

Thank you for teaching me how to put myself out there. It isn't easy, going to a school without any of your best friends from home and having to make new friends, but it's something we all have to do in life at some point. If it weren't for the friends I made in freshman year, I would have missed out on a ton of crazy adventures that I wouldn't trade for anything.

Thank you for showing me that not all friends are good friends. Just like I made friends this year, I also lost some, and that's okay. You taught me that you should never be putting energy into friendships that aren't giving you energy back, or else you're draining yourself. You also showed me what real friendship looks like, and which friends are here to stay.

Thank you for helping me realize that life is too short to have regrets. Freshman year had its sad times, but those bad times only gave me a new outlook on life. I don't want to miss any opportunities in front of me, and I certainly don't want to spend time wishing I had done anything differently.

Thank you for making me decide what is most important to me. College is a time when you have to prioritize, and there are often times when you have to make difficult decisions between two different things. I have learned that what is most important is that you choose what will make you happy, because your happiness should be the most important thing to you.

Most importantly, thank you for the most thrilling roller coaster ride of my entire life. I wouldn't trade my experience for anything and wouldn't want it to be anything more or less than what it was. Regardless of how things go from here, I have learned some invaluable lessons that I will carry with me from here on out.

Sincerely,

A Rising Sophomore