Freeze this moment. I'm serious. You know how we constantly joke that we're peaking? Well, this is your peak. Nothing could ever top this life-changing decision. Cherish it forever. Never take it for granted.
I'd be lying to you if I said the social media bragging, the official FB status, the flood of congratulatory likes and comments, the never-ending school apparel purchasing, friends decorating our rooms and getting us cookie cakes, weren't a huge reason why this day is so epic. What felt like a lifetime of waiting is finally over. You survived. You know where you're going and I mean this with every ounce of me: the best is yet to come.
To the high senior who just committed to college, I'm so jealous of you. With almost two years down, I fall more and more in love with my school every day and would kill to be in your shoes right now. You're at the point where you truly appreciate the school you're going to and your biggest problem is which shirt to rep your school with now that it's official.
I am forever proud and grateful to go to my school, to have made the kind of friendships that will last me a lifetime and to be given so many countless opportunities to be successful, but it is easy to be absorbed in life's latest problems. Now I want good grades, an internship, cute going-out clothes, trendy tailgate outfits and always something more. I wish I could rewind to a time when I had not a single complaint or problem in the world. I wish I could re-experience the excitement you're feeling, that adrenaline of beginning your college career.
Thinking back on how I committed roughly two years ago around this time, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal but on that day, it was the biggest deal EVER. If you ED'ed (I'm looking at you: Syracuse, Michigan, etc.) the excitement is even more real. Not only are you committing to this school, but you've mentally committed to it months ago because you know this is where you belong. Make these four years exactly what you've been dreaming of. Why limit the hype to just one day?
I want you to keep appreciating what you have. I want you to remember that that class you might hate when you get to college is way better than a class you might love at a college that isn't for you. I want you to remember that some grades might feel like the "end of the world," but you got into this college for a reason, you can handle it. No test grade is as bad as being rejected from the college of your dreams and no roommate issue can define your college experience. Your biggest obstacle is long behind you. Never forget that.
The sororities, the boys, the drama, will all seem like life and death issues, but I promise you, you'll be over it by the morning. But you will NEVER be over how amazing your school is. Live every day like the day you committed to college. You only get four years and if you're like me, you'll wish you appreciated them just a little bit more.
