Recently while scrolling through TikTok, I found a poem by user @kimmyy_d that really resonated with me. The poem goes:
“but maybe it’s because
i’m 22 years old and i
know that i’m to say
goodbye to everything
i’ve ever known
because i’ve started to
feel like a guest in my
mother’s home,
and my childhood
bedroom contained a
version of me i’ve since
outgrown
and despite the
excitement i feel every
time i take another step
forward towards that
version’s dreams,
towards this version’s
dreams, towards the next
version’s dreams,
my other foot hesitates in
the door.”
I remember feeling like I was leaving myself behind when I closed my bedroom door and walked out of my house to leave for college. However, I always knew that I had that house to come back to, that no matter how far I strayed, my mother’s door would always be open for me when I needed it. Now, here I am again, four years later, bracing to walk out of yet another door and leave a different version of myself behind. This time the door I’m walking out of is my college apartment and it is a door I will never walk through again. This action comes with a bit more realness. This city, this school, and this apartment are all places where I became an adult. Places where I found the new version of myself, where I grew into the person I am today. Now, I am packing my bags and moving on to a new dream, to build a new version of the self I now know. It’s weird, this permanence, that this chapter is closing and I am moving on to new beginnings.
As I move on from this version of myself and into a new chapter of life, I have spent a lot of time reflecting. Since I’m graduating in 2022, here are 22 things I would tell my first-year self and anyone about to embark on their college journey:
- Say yes to as much as possible.
- School is important, but remember to have some fun too.
- A withdrawal (W) on your transcript is better than an F.
- Go on adventures, both big and small.
- This time is about finding you, nobody else.
- Call your mom (and/or any other important person in your life).
- Get involved in extracurriculars you love and care about.
- Volunteer somewhere off-campus.
- It’s good to grow and change, but don’t forget your roots.
- Even if you don’t think graduate school is in your future, try to keep your grades up as much as possible. Plans change and you never know what the future holds.
- Explore places off-campus.
- Have fun and spend money but also make sure you are learning how to budget. Bonus: If you can, get a credit card.
- Take pictures and videos all the time.
- Celebrate everything, big and small.
- Don’t forget to take care of yourself mentally and physically.
- Work on finding jobs/observation hours/internships your sophomore-junior year summer so you’re not completely stressed for your last summer.
- Pay attention to who shows up for you time and time again, they are your real friends.
- It’s okay to stay in sometimes. A night in by yourself or with a friend or two can be just as fun as going out.
- Take the time to get to know your professors. Those are the people in your field that will be your peers eventually and the origin of your network, take advantage of it.
- Make time for your hobbies.
- Remember, you are still so young and it is okay to make mistakes.
- Dream big, you can do more than you think.
People often say that college is the best four years of your life. There is so much pressure put on these years. As I walk away from them, I know that this is just the beginning. While I have learned what feels like a lifetime of things and had just the same amount of experiences, there is still so much more to do and learn. At the end of the day, college is just four years, and while it is a great time, it is also incredibly challenging. So, here’s to the last four years and to the next four and more. I cannot wait to see what is to come. Dream big.