Freshman year: the year that starts off your college experience and a new era of your life. This year is filled with so many expectations and hopes that it can be overwhelming.
I was definitely facing a roller coaster of emotions coming into it in August. I was so excited to see what this year had in store for me, but I was also nervous and scared of the chance that it wouldn’t be what I was hoping for.
I had no idea how life-changing this year would be.
Luckily for me, freshman year has been everything I could’ve wanted and more. I really could not have wished for a better year.
I have gained many memories that I’ll cherish forever and have met amazing people who I plan to keep by my side for years to come. I have gone through so much personal growth which has led me to become a better version of myself.
Starting off, I’d like to talk about all the people I’ve met this year. This is for the people on my floor, the people from my sorority, the people from my classes and anyone else who has made an impact on my year.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have been rooted in my happiness and all the memories I have this year are special because of you.
Some of you have become my closest friends, and I really don’t know how I lived life before without you. You have shown me what true friendship is, and I’ll cherish that forever.
The lesson is never to doubt you’ll meet your lifelong friends in college.
You’ve grown up with the people from your hometown, so right now, the possibility of a life without some of those people seems hard. I get it.
I know I was nervous and turned down the possibility at first, but since then I have met my people. These people truly get who I am and love me for it. I now have the pleasure to say I have my lifelong friends and I cannot wait for all the memories to come.
Moving on to memories, I feel grateful to have made them as they are all filled with so much laughter and love.
Nostalgia is always a ghost that haunts my mind as I remember each game day, night out or even just late nights talking with friends. It’s a combination of the little and big events of this year that will be engraved in my mind forever. I will always yearn to relive the memories and never change a thing.
That’s the beauty of it.
I think how lucky I am to be able to have nostalgia because that means I have lived through something amazing and lived it to the fullest.
Going into college, I was scared of what awaited me. If I was told I’d be ending this year with all these memories, I would’ve thought it’d be too good to be true.
You never know what life is going to throw at you.
Sure, there has been a rough patch here and there this year too, but it all is outweighed by the good.
Never miss an opportunity to make a memory because it will be the greatest souvenir of life and your time in college. Always cherish every moment, for you have no idea how fast time flies.
Just like that, your freshman year is over.
Finally, freshman year has instilled change in myself. It has given me the greatest gift of self care.
Being in a different environment with different people has pushed me to change into the person I want to be.
It’s made me realize that it’s my life and I shouldn’t let how other people think control it. It has also made me realize to be myself, and the right people will like me for me. If not, they aren’t my true friends.
With the opportunity of having more free time, I stopped procrastinating committing to activities that would better me. I focused on the need to be there for myself, so I committed to my self growth.
I started regularly going to the gym, joined clubs and balanced going out with school work or self care. I also started thinking about what exactly I want in my future and aimed to reach toward some of those goals.
We only get one life, so we have to live it to the fullest. That includes doing what makes you happy despite what some people may think. It includes making those best friends for life and experiencing everything college has to offer.
This is the first year to your new life, so take advantage of it all. Seize every opportunity you see and become that better version of yourself.
Freshman year has been such a powerful, amazing start to my college years. I’m sad to put it behind me so quickly, but I’m so excited to see what will come in the following years.
Thank you freshman year for everything. I love you.