Dear Freshman Zion,
The next four years will be anything but what you expect them to be.
Don’t worry. Welcome Week won’t be the deciding factor in whether you’ll make it in New York City or not. You’ll slowly but surely find your way and purpose as a student at NYU. Friendships will grow stronger, and some will fall apart, and that’s okay. You’ll join a group full of women that make you feel supported and loved, who will stick with you throughout your time at school. You’ll graduate with friends that were there for you at the highest and lowest points of your time at NYU. You and David will be just fine and make the best of spending the next four years apart. You’ll laugh a lot, but also cry a lot too. Things will be thrown in your way that may seem impossible to overcome at first, but you will remain resilient and come out on the other side stronger.
You’ll leave NYU feeling just as lost and confused about what you’re doing with your life as when you got there, but you’ll be a stronger, more confident person, and that’s what really matters. You will learn to love yourself, and it’ll strengthen your relationships with the people you love. You will graduate during a global pandemic and a time of great unrest in the world. It won’t be easy, but you will get that degree and celebrate with your family and friends at home. Senior year won’t be the fun, friend-filled time that you probably expected to have, but you’ll try and make the best of it.
Make the most of your first few years. As much as you say “yes” to friends, make time to take care of yourself. Don’t stress too much about classes and schoolwork; you’ll end up doing fine. Take lots of pictures, but don’t obsess over how you’re looking online to your friends back home. Another piece of advice, write more! Take advantage of resources at school and your jobs. Be bold and stick up for yourself and others when others are bringing you down. Talk openly about your feelings and mental health with people you trust, don’t bear that weight and struggle on your own. Take each day as it comes, and remember that sometimes just getting out of bed is the best you can do.
The next four years will be hard but valuable in getting you right where you need to be. Be kind to yourself and enjoy the crazy times ahead of you.
Senior Zion