Dear College Freshman...

I'm about to start my Junior year at college, and that sounds crazy to me. Many of my friends are leaving home to start their college journey, and I couldn't be more happy for them. I also keep thinking about the night before I left for school and all the nerves that kept me up hours past my bedtime.  Following my other posts (Dear High School Senior: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3), I decided to write a letter to the nervous wreck I was the night before I left home. 

Dear College Freshman,

You're leaving in just a few hours. You've been repeatedly telling yourself "It's just four years, it's just four years." And you're right. But those four years will fly by. Tomorrow, you'll be moving all your stuff inside a cramped dorm room, and then you'll turn around and move your stuff out of that cramped dorm room. And this process will repeat this every year. So take in every moment that you get these next four years. 

You're worried about your high school friends. Will you still be friends a year from now? Maybe. Maybe not. But you'll meet amazing people this year, and you just have to hope your high school friends have met equally amazing people. And you'll still maintain a few friendships from high school, but you'll lose touch with a lot of them. And that's okay. Because all of you are growing and maturing.

You're thinking about all the activities you did in high school. FFA, choir, band, basketball, softball, Student Council, FCA, etc... will your teachers miss you? Will what you did in high school even matter to the people still left? Did you really leave the "impact" everyone said you did? The only thing I can tell you is that you are not the first person to graduate, and there will always be someone to "take your place" and that's alright. Because you will find new places to be in at college.

You're thinking about your siblings. You're wondering if Mom and Dad will take care of them the way you did. You're wondering if they will really miss you. Your siblings will be just fine. They'll miss you, but they'll learn to become the person they need to be. 

Your parents will be fine, too.  Tell your siblings to take care of them. Call them frequently. They love you more than you know.

You're wondering about yourself. Will you be the same person? Yes and no. I believe that you will never be the same person you were yesterday or else you aren't really growing. But if you hold on to the things you've learned your entire life and maintain your values and morals, you will be the best you that you can be.

These next four years will hold some of the best memories you will have. You'll meet the best of friends. You'll learn so much. You'll gain mentors. You'll become a role model. 

Always, always, remember where you came from. Always, always remember who will be there for you no matter what. Always, always have something worth pursuing. Always, always turn to God. Always, always strive to be your best. 

As I wrote in the beginning: You're leaving in just a few hours. You've been repeatedly telling yourself "It's just four years, it's just four years." And you're right. But those four years will fly by. Tomorrow, you'll be moving all your stuff inside a cramped dorm room, and then you'll turn around and move your stuff out of that cramped dorm room. And you'll repeat this every year. So take in every moment that you get these next four years. 

Love, Me.