Dearest freshmen ladies,
You’re a little over month into your freshman year. Congratulations! Seriously. That first month is one of the most difficult you’ll experience here — you moved away from home, met all new people, and you stopped taking tests and started taking exams. It’s an impressive feat to have survived that transition, even if you did cry more times than you’d care to admit. The thing is, you still have a lot to learn. I wish someone would have told me these things.
That Vera Bradley wallet attached to a lanyard around your neck is not doing you any favors. Take it off. Immediately. I know your high school friends are doing it too, and post photos on Facebook with said attempted trend, but it’s not a thing.
It’s okay that you’re struggling in a class or two. Swallow your pride and let that cute boy in the next row help you. He’s really good at this subject, and he’s offering his time to tutor you. You’ll thank yourself in the long run for two things: (1) Not taking a hit to your GPA and (2) getting some one-on-one time with the guy.
Your friends’ opinions should be valued, but they are not everything. Any opinion that puts you down or makes you question your self-worth is not an opinion you need. Only you know what is best for you. Remember that.
It’s so easy to stick on campus every weekend. Don’t do that. Use your free bus pass and explore the city around you. Head over to the Lower East Side, Third Ward, or the Fifth Ward. Get out of the Marquette Bubble (you’ll hear that term a lot over the next few years) and explore.
Not knowing what you want is fine. You’ll figure it out along the way. Trust yourself.
The next four years will shape you for the rest of your life. You will change, maybe a little bit and maybe drastically, but by the time you graduate you will be a different person than you were on move-in day. You’ll experience more than you thought possible, and you’ll learn more than ever before. Enjoy it.
xo A Senior Collegiette
P.S. The freshman fifteen is real.