Dear anxious Freshmen of the world,

You’ve made it! You have reached the beautiful, sometimes drunken oasis that is college. I am currently a freshman, and I was so excited to leave my tiny town and come to college. But I have recently realized something. College. Is. Scary. Yes, it is also life-affirming, educational, and fabulous, but, as someone who is not naturally a social person, THIS IS VERY SCARY. There are times when you will want to run screaming to your dorm room after a social interaction that went less than well, and there are times when you will just want to cry when you say something weird. And sometimes, there are times when you do cry because you said something weird, but let’s not dwell on that.

It’s important to remember one thing as you conquer (or, in my case, muddle through) this first year of college: You are a unique person who is worthy of respect; you will find your people and you will make friends. If you’re not best friends with your roommate, don’t sweat it. Not everyone is going to love you simply because you’re no longer in high school. It’s not a big deal! You just need to shake off any experiences that don’t agree with you and move on. College is the time to make new friends and great new memories, and the truth is your friends won’t care if you’re shy or overly talkative- they’ll appreciate you for the good qualities you do have!

You see, the key to surviving (and maybe even excelling) in college is letting go of your past hang ups. Did you, for whatever reason, hate high school? It doesn’t matter! You’re in college now, and even though things are different, they are almost certainly better. You have more freedom to express yourself, you don’t have to deal with the high school hierarchy anymore, and you have the awesome opportunity to join different clubs and make all sorts of new friends based on your interests.

If you're worried about the dreaded Freshman Fifteen, just make time to exercise! You don't need to move into the gym, but as long as you make an effort to eat- not necessarily healthy, but at least semi-healthy- and to occasionally work out, you should be fine. Another very good tip that I was given this year is to know what you're drinking, if drinking is your thing. Liquid calories are very real.

If you ever feel like you’re alone in what you feel, stop that immediately. There are so many different kinds of people in this world, and each and every one of us feels alone sometimes. We’re all just trying to have a good life, in the end. So get out there! Be yourself, and know that no matter how awkward you think you are, you’ve got nothing on me. And I feel like I should include a token "don't forget to study!" just so I can feel like an adult with priorities.

In the meantime, I hope that your roommate doesn’t ritually sacrifice animals, vape, or have smelly feet.

Sending emotional support from my undersized dorm room,
Brenna