Dear me,
It’s me: a year older but most definitely not wiser.
I am writing to you from the beautiful Elon University, your soon to be future (!!!) home. I know that you are feeling scared, excited, and nervous. I know you are worried about boys, classes and everything else in between. It is so normal to feel like this, and so here I am, assuring you that you will be okay, trust me. I’ve compiled a list of 18 tips that I wish I knew going into my first year.
1. If you have roommate problems, deal with them and deal with them early. Living with someone and having them around you a lot of the time is a weird change, but you can make the best or worst of it.
2. Clean up after yourself: Lysol wipes and vacuums go a LONG way in a 10×12 dorm room.
3. Make friends with people on your hall – I never did and it was one of my biggest regrets. Some of my closest friends made their closest friends by just talking to the people next to them.
4. Boys… will be boys. They are confusing, really cute but, really unpredictable. Keep your guard up until you find one you really like and you know really likes you in return. Wait for the butterfly feeling.
5. Cliché as it is, you do really regret things that you do not do. Join that club that puts you out of your comfort zone, talk to the cute boy who sits next to you in class and always say yes to dinner with friends, even if you already ate.
6. Try to steer away anything that gets served out of a bucket, trash can or is named “jungle juice.” Stories of that kind of stuff being laced with drugs is all too real. And scary. Just hold a cup full of it if it’s the social pressure that gets to you. Not worth throwing up the next morning.
7. Workout, even when you don’t want to get out of bed. Personally, I did it for mental health instead of physical. It just makes you feel better.
8. If you choose to rush a sorority, be yourself! Tiers and reputations do not matter if you hear about hazing and the girls not treating one another kindly. They are your sisters and should treat you as such.
9. With that being said, I have met some of my best friends and in turn, the best people as a result of being a member of my sorority. You meet tons of people, it boosts your resume and creates irreplaceable bonds.
10. You are at school to learn. I know that sounds maternal and cliché but seriously. College is a privilege and professors really know their stuff. Take a class that will open your eyes to a new topic.
11. Sit front row in classes. Go to office hours when you need help. Ask questions when you are confused.
12. Dress well to feel well but most of the time, it’s running shorts and t-shirts. Be comfortable but remember, you are always meeting new people. First impressions go a long way.
13. Call your family. Your parents, siblings and grandparents. As we get older, we tend to forget that they are too.
14. Get involved. Extracurriculars push you above your fellow students. You meet more people and gain real world experience. Don’t just sit around in the dorm all day. Take advantage of everything Elon offers.
15. Find a small job on campus. Working, even if for five hours a week, means that you can go out to eat, buy coffee and online shopl without having negative funds and having to call your dad for laundry money.
16. Don’t walk home alone at night. Ever.
17. Write about your experiences so you have something to look back on 30 years from now. Your mistakes, lessons, advice could help your grandbabies one day.
18. Enjoy every minute. Freshman year is an incredibly special beginning to the newest chapter of your life.
It will be a year of craziness, late nights in and out of the library and frat parties, new friends and old habits. It will be an insane time to go through, but you will come to discover that you will not want to have it any other way.
Love,
Me