“Remember, there is always tomorrow.” – Michael Essien (my father)
Listen to me: help yourself transition to college by having few expectations other than making the best of whatever curveball college throws your way. If you move in expecting more than what you are willing to work for, you will be miserable throughout your four years. Contrary to popular belief, life is not going to hand you everything you fantasize. You HAVE TO WORK for it. You want straight A’s? Put in the time and effort. You want a relationship? Start by forming a friendship and work your way up from there. Don’t want to gain the freshman 15? Eat right, party less, sleep more and exercise. Anyone who expects to be handed the cream of the crop without working for it during their first year in college is setting themselves up for failure. You need to remember college is no different than any other chapter in your life. What applied then still applies now and in the future. If you want something you have to work for it, but in order to work for it you have to be content with yourself. You have to learn to take a “C” on a paper or test with pride and see it as a means for improvement. I cannot stress this enough, but learn to let go of your fear of rejection. If you do, it will open so many doors for you. If someone doesn’t like you back, the joke is on them because they are the ones missing out, not you.
In college you are an individual and no one is going to be there to hold your hand every step of the way, so start now and learn how to take disappointment with pride and view it as nothing more than a learning experience. Most importantly, learn to swallow your pride and accept that you are going to make mistakes or that there are people out there who may be slightly better than you. This shouldn’t matter because at the end of the day you are still equals. It is imperative that you learn to take responsibility for your actions and not project them onto others – it saves you a lot of time and energy. Smile more; people love that. Learn to live life, and enjoy the small things it has to offer. If you do all of this, you will have the best time of your life. No one expects you to go to college and have your life together. If that was the case, adults would trust us from the moment we graduated high school. I want you to remember your worth because you have nothing to prove. Do things that make YOU happy. Seek adventure. Live life, safely, on the edge. But most importantly: learn to live for yourself. You are not in college for anyone other than you so base your achievements on your own goals in life, not someone else’s ideal. Always feel comfortable making mistakes and asking for help. Stop worrying because everything is going to work out – no one is here to leave you behind. We all are or were once where you are or will be. So spread good vibes and be like the ocean: let it go and just flow. You only get one shot at undergraduate, so make it count. Make it about you. Life is going to happen, and you determine what to do with it. I wish you the best of luck, and welcome to the best four years of your life.
Photo courtesy of: http://www.beyondblackwhite.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/iStock_000019…