Okay, remember how cliché you thought your parents were when they would hit you with the “College is the best four years of your life” speech? Well, it turns out that was one (out of the hundreds) of times they were actually right. Going into my senior year this fall, I envy the upcoming lanyard-wearing freshman. Whether it was the stress of FASFA or pulling all-nighters for an exam, there were moments I wanted to just graduate already. Looking back at the past three years I spent at West Virginia University, the only regret I have is wishing time would move faster. It turns out that while graduation may open a whole new chapter of your life, it also involves closing one. A really good one. Harry Potter good. And so, with this, I leave an open letter to incoming freshman on just a touch of what to look forward to these next four years.
Regardless of what school you go to, move-in weekend is an unforgettable experience. It is the first time it finally sinks in that you are officially on your own. Well technically, there are still overly friendly RA’s and obnoxious night-staff workers, but other than that—you are free. Nothing is more exciting than finally unpacking, kissing your tear-stained mother goodbye, and exploring the campus with your roommate. The entire student body is outside celebrating and you get that feeling that you made the team (I did not in high school). It is the first time I experienced the pride I had for my university and the new family I was a part of.
As freshman year passes and semesters move along, you will make the greatest relationships. Entering a big school, I was nervous about becoming a small fish in a big pond. It is easy to get lost in such a large crowd, but the people I met only helped to affirm that I was home. You will realize that your professors are specialists in what they teach. They have real life experience in their field and pass their knowledge along in hopes that it will help to advance you in your own career. I have never felt like just a student. Through meeting with professors during office hours or talking to them after class, they have always made me feel like an individual with advice for me, specifically. You get a taste of what you want to do in life and though it may not be set in stone, they are there to help guide you in the right direction.
While making relationships with your professors and advisors is very beneficial, it is outside of class where the life-long friendships form. College is the only place where a stranger you meet while stuffing your face during a drunken food binge can become your best friend. Trust me, when you graduate, it will never be okay to introduce yourself to someone when you don’t remember your own name and have ranch and pizza sauce along your chin. Embrace these Friday and Saturday nights (yeah, and sometimes Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday too), for they will make for the best stories and Facebook pictures you should definitely untag yourself in.
Finally, and while college still did not teach me that you should never start a closing paragraph with “finally”, it did teach me to find myself. If you grew up in a small town like me, you sometimes feel like you must fit a certain mold. I am here to tell you that this is the place that will welcome anyone with open arms. There are so many different individuals you will meet with various stories and backgrounds that the name “Joe” will start to sound foreign to you. It is the place to be gay, straight, black, white, brown, ambitious, political, liberal, but most of all; it is the place to be you.
So, class of 2019, I challenge you to not wish away these next four years of your life. Take advantage of everything your school has to offer. Embrace final’s week and terrible hangovers, introduce yourself to the kid sitting next to you, and eat that whole bag of pizza rolls. After you graduate, the real world hits, and so does being unemployed, bills, unsuccessful marriages, screaming kids, etc. Don’t rush your youth. Now is the time for mistakes, lessons, and life-long memories you will never forget and may your next four years be as good as mine!