Dear Freshmen,
Learn the value of solitude. Have fun and participate if that’s your thing. But it’s also okay to be alone, and It’s okay to not want to be alone. There’s always people in the library. (Literally always. That place is lit.) It’s okay to be loud. Just learn the appropriate places to do so.
Don’t make out in public places. Do it in your cars like the rest of us.
Take advantage of the beauty that is the prayer chapel. It’s the perfect place to have quiet, alone time. Start a daily devotional. Developing a consistent practice can result in a beneficial change in homework practices.
You are never alone. No matter how alone you feel, you aren’t. This campus is a community. It is hard to be vulnerable but telling your story to others is part of being in a community.
Take classes you’re interested in. If you liked art in high school, take some graphic design classes. Just because they’re not in your major’s classes doesn’t mean they won’t help you in your endeavors.
You’re going to lose friends but you’ll gain better ones. Live in the ebb and flow. The cliché “When one door opens, another closes” is key to finding and releasing friendships.
Change your major. A lot. It’s okay to not know what you want to do. Explore.
Never turn down free food, but cookies and ice cream will not help you feel better. Stress eating is real. The freshman fifteen is real.
Never ever settle for less than you know you deserve. As Stephen Chbosky says in The Perks of Being A Wallflower, “We accept the love we think we deserve.”
Find a good group of friends or church college group to connect with that already has some of the values you resonate with.
No one has it all together. You don’t have to pretend you know what you want to do.
Most importantly, learn to love yourself. Learn to realize the beauty of individuality.
It’s okay to live in the unknown.
Sincerely,
A sophomore who does not have it all together
[author image=”http://echo.snu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_2343-2.jpg”]
Brianna Yates, Staff Writer
Brianna Yates is a sophomore Mass Communications major who is obsessed with dogs, hexagons, lavender and the color mustard yellow. She also enjoys reading other people’s bios.
Photo by Savanna Spear[/author]