Dear Freshman Year Self,
This summer after high school was hard. It’s tough leaving friends from high school and the only town you’ve ever known, leaving your parents and your little sister, and most importantly, your dog. Not having a dog in your dorm room is tough, and you never get over it. But, you do get used to it. Just like you get used to not waking up in your own room, not coming home to your favorite home cooked meal, or even not having to go to classes for eight hours straight everyday (that one is a major plus).
First of all, college doesn’t mean you’re alone and isolated from your “old life.” Everyone is just a phone call, text message, or FaceTime away. Just because Mom isn’t right downstairs, doesn’t mean she can’t help you when you don’t know how much laundry detergent to put in the machine, or how to perfect that thesis statement in your first essay. You may be thousands of miles away from home, but you have a huge support system who is rooting for you, and they will all help you every step of the way.
Your high school boyfriend is just that: your high school boyfriend. He’s a great guy, and someone you still talk to here and there, but he isn’t your whole world and you’ve had fun meeting and getting to know different people. Your high school friends, on the other hand, are your forever friends (you still talk to most of them, although your family moved across the country so you don’t see them as often as you would like). In college, you’ve been introduced to so many incredible friends who you would have never encountered had you not joined that service group or decided to venture down the hall one day and tell a girl you like her shirt (she later becomes your best friend)!
Get this: you study abroad…TWICE! I know, I know. It’s hard to believe! You start (and end) freshmen year saying you’ll never study abroad, but just wait. You go to Spain and live with a host family for 6 weeks and you spend an entire semester in London. You stepped way out of your comfort zone, and wow, did you do some incredible things. The next three years are full of new people, incredible travel, and stories you could never dream of saying happened to you.
You end up choosing the major of your dreams. Going into college undeclared was a great decision; it allowed you to take a bunch of different classes that eventually led you to a major that couldn’t be more fitting for your excessive need for organization and a concrete plan. But, you also take classes outside of your major that inspire you more than you could ever know. You become passionate about things like eradicating homelessness and animal rights. You begin to recognize the importance of something bigger than yourself, and that you help put an end to the injustices you see.
It takes you awhile, but you eventually get a handle on this whole college thing. Just a few tips, so maybe it doesn’t take quite as long. Don’t spend every single night sitting in the hallway Skyping family and friends. Go out and meet new people and make fun memories. Go to as many basketball games as possible because the team gets really good (National Champs 2016!) and the games will be harder to get tickets to. And mostly, just have fun. Live in the moment and don’t worry about what friends from high school are doing or how much you have to study for that Calc test on Monday (you get a C. It’s fine, you survive).
These next four years will fly by, and I mean fly by. You’re a senior now, living off campus with no meal plan, and three of your freshmen year dorm mates as your current roommates. There will be ups and downs, A’s and F’s, and a whole lot of in between, but you make it through, and you’re happy while doing it. Right now, you might be laying in bed crying because you miss home, but the homesickness fades, and sooner or later, you’re sad to be leaving Villanova. Take advantage of the opportunities Villanova offers because you’re at a unique place and you don’t want to miss anything thrown your way. Join that intramural team or that club, even though none of your friends are. You’ll meet new people who have the same passions and interests as you, and they inspire you to push yourself even more. You’re going to do big things, just wait and see.
Love,
Your Senior Year Self