A few days ago, I watched as my middle sister took her final steps as a CHS Cougar at her graduation ceremony. I watched my dad, ever keen on his technology, sporting a selfie stick as he rushed to nab the perfect picture as she shook hands with the principle and received her diploma. I watched my youngest sister as her eyes filled with longing, dreaming of the day that she would finally take those steps and hightail it out of our town to New York City.
Of course, being the excellent older sibling that I am, I was already planning and re-planning the inspirational quotes I could write in her graduation card. I was ready to start telling her all the secrets of how to survive freshman year, how to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But rather than overdo the "Dream, Believe, Achieve" speech that everyone has already heard three times during their graduation ceremony, my advice is much more simplistic.
Relax.
Amid all the stress and worry about grades, relax.
During all the crazy long nights wondering if you'll finish that assignment, relax.
When you can't scrounge up enough quarters to do a load of laundry and you wonder if your meal plan money can be traded in for cash, relax.
Take a few deep breaths, jam out to your favorite Spanish artist's latest number one hit, or whatever you do to take your mind away from work. Most importantly, though, take the time to hang out with people! Social interaction is super important, especially when you have been staring at a computer screen for three hours waiting for inspiration to hit for your 10-page research assignment that is due in less than a week, but all you have is a half-written paragraph and a bone-thin outline, been there, done that.
I promise that you will never regret going on a midnight Walmart run for fruit snacks and lipstick rather than freaking yourself out over an assignment. You will be okay, and you will get it done! As long as you portion out chunks of your day to balancing school work with social life, you will be able to succeed. Because, contrary to popular belief, it doesn't have to be one or the other. You just have to find the right balance for you.
If there is anything I wish I would have been told in a graduation card or by a well-meaning teacher, it's that college can be really, really hard. But that doesn't mean it has to make you miserable. Put your nose to the grindstone when you have to, and let loose a little when you need to. Things will work out, so, relax!
