Dear Freshmen, I’m not here to give you an article about “The X things I wish I knew my freshman year” or tell you how time flies and college is what you make it – I’m sure you already have a plethora of people to give you college cliches and tell you “back in my day…,” and besides – you’re an adult now – you’ll make mistakes, you’ll realize your shortcomings and above all you’ll grow from them – without the help of Youtube videos and online articles.
I’m here to tell you about the realization that us seniors are facing – the end, the inevitable last year of being spoon-fed validation, having an excuse for eating microwave Ramen, being negligent about 401k plans and how to do taxes. We were all there: the exciting first day of move-in when our parents took what seemed like forever to leave. We all remember those nights (okay, maybe some of us don’t remember so well…) during the beginning of our freshman year when we wanted to meet everybody, do everything, so excuse us upperclassmen if you find us laughing or eye-rolling at your innumerable excited posts on the Class of 2019 Facebook page, excuse us if we chuckle at you for being so enthusiastic about getting dining hall food with your floormates or for proudly wearing your “Class of 2019” t-shirt on the first day of classes and hanging your dorm room key on a lanyard around your neck like Zoey 101. We mean well, and more often than not, we’re just remembering when we were so enlivened about the beginning of our college years. It’s okay to be excited, you’re a freshman – you have three years left to be apathetic – be excited.
I’m here to tell you that you are not too cool for freshman year – you’re not too cool to be naive about college and to be blissfully unaware about the impending post-grad struggles, you’re not too cool to live in a dorm with an RA and stop to ask directions to your gen-ed classes. We all did it, and you will too – so don’t rush your college innocence. It’s not all about picking a major and getting out of here – its a process, and one you’ll find that fosters self-growth and exploration. These four years change you. In all honesty, even the first year of college changes you – you’ll begin to shape the mold for the person you’ll be post-grad, in the real world. Your experiences, adventures, successes and failures in your college career will make you realize things about yourself that you never even considered when you stepped foot on campus, and trust me, that’s a good thing. Repeat after me: Change. Is. Good. It is part of the self-growth process that is so highly coveted in college, and let’s be honest, it is the reason universities can charge an astronomical amount in tuition and fees – because they know so badly you want the complete college experience.
As a senior looking through the lens of a prospective employee and soon-to-be college graduate, take it from me, don’t rush anything – everything is a process – and it is in place for a reason. So proudly wear that dorm key around your neck, eat all of the meal plan food as your heart desires, and don’t sweat it if you don’t have your life mapped out during your freshman year. You’ll get there. We all do.
Love,
Hannah