Dear First Year of College,
While this is not necessarily my first year taking college classes, this is my first time being away from home, my first time being so far away from home and my first time having to do everything for myself. I will admit, I was scared at first. I was homesick, and I did not know how to live on my own. I was afraid I had chosen the wrong school and would thus have the worst first year college experience. Nevertheless, here we are, at the end of my first year, and I will say, this has been one of the best experiences of my life.
Living on my own has made me a better person; I have learned how to do laundry on my own, cook on my own, clean on my own, shop on my own and just generally care for my own. I have become more independent. Yes, I have called my parents from time to time asking for help, but who doesn’t?
I have become more outgoing and more involved. I am introverted, but joining all the clubs such as Blue Ice Step Team, Caribbean Student Association and Black Student Union has allowed me to come out of my shell and try new things. Through these clubs and more, I have met the most amazing people, made great friends and created memories that I will never forget. When I first came to campus, I thought I would never be as involved as I am on campus because I am a quiet person, but I have changed, and I have changed definitely for the better. So for that, I thank you.
No first year of college experience would be complete without the struggles and challenges I had to face. Coming into college with 64 college credits and an associate's art degree already, I already knew there would be challenges. I had a hard time choosing the classes I needed to take, and I had a hard time figuring out what my college career would look like. So entering college at the age 18 as a biochemistry major, and already taking 300 and 400 level courses was the biggest challenge I had to face academically. But that only made me realize that that makes me unique and better equipped to deal with future challenges. So I end this school year, still a biochemistry major (no matter how close I was at some point changing my major to something easier like biology), and having added a public health minor.
I end this letter by saying this: I do not regret anything I have done this year, and I do not regret choosing the school I did. I know that having survived this first year, I can deal with even more challenges and become the success I want to be in the future. Thank you first year of college for providing me with these experiences I will never forget. I will never forget them as I move into my second year of college life.
