To those of you who just committed to college,
Congratulations! Those dozens of college tours that you started taking junior year of high school are finally over. Dad is done using his dad jokes on the tour guides, and mom is finally done asking the most embarrassing questions humanly possible (i.e., “So are the guys cute here?! My daughter’s single,”). Yes, moms actually do ask this. We’re sure your friends from high school are now committing to colleges all over the country, and you’re all excited for a new beginning because everyone from high school is getting on your nerves.
But then comes that one Friday night GNO where you all realize that you only have a few months left together. Then you instantly feel a rush of regret, because what was once a fun thought of the distant future is now reality. It’s no longer info sessions with your guidance counselor, dreadful three mile tours, or filling out applications. No longer will you be seeing alumni coming home for Thanksgiving and asking them how school is, because next Thanksgiving it will be you coming home for the first time in three months. It’s putting that college bumper sticker on and taking the high school sticker off. It’s seeing your childhood besties once every few months. It’s real and it’s scary, but trust us, it’s exciting.
It’s okay to have mixed feelings about college. Some days you’ll want to get out there and make new friends and leave your old ones behind, and other days you want to anchor yourself to your house so you don’t have to leave. But whatever you do, don’t doubt your decision on wherever you choose to go. Most likely you are doubting yourself because you’re scared to leave your comfort zone, or you’re afraid of new beginnings. But just remember that you chose that school for a reason. Be proud of the decision you made, brag, tell the world, because that place is your new home away from home, and trust us, you will make some of the best memories of your life there. You will try things that scare you, and meet new people who you will see things in you that you didn’t even see in yourself. Home is good, college is great.
Remember: yes, you made the right decision in choosing your school, whether it is 100,000 miles away or 10 miles away.
Sincerely,
A girl who no longer has doubts about her college decision