Dear F,
You have just embarked on the most incredible 4 year journey, you’ll remember for a lifetime. Sure, your first semester is miserable and you hate every minute of it especially because you don’t have any friends (just wait until October…), and you cry every chance you get because you want to go back to high school. But trust me baby girl, you will learn to love this place.
Putting the mushiness aside, let me tell you about the good, the bad, and the lessons or things you wish you had known when you began this journey.
The Good:
The study habits and organizational skills you’re building right now as you study, will last your entire life and ultimately change you into a better more responsible adult, so indulge in them and schedule away little girl!
Your first year will totally dishearten you. You will feel like you’re about to get ‘kicked’ out of this college and program and make it nowhere in life. Keep trudging along. You’re second year is where the light shines and you finally start to do well. You finally begin to fall in love with the career path you’ve chosen and begin to really feel like you belong. Stick through it.
Don’t spend more than $200 on books a semester (if you can help it). Chegg.com will be your new best friend. Manage your nonexistent college student budget now so you know how to manage your money once you really have some later. Ask around for friends who have taken similar classes or professors if you can borrow or buy the book from them for much cheaper, all of these tricks will help you save $ and make some connections!
Same goes for food. Thankfully you never had that freshman-15 problem, and you were smart to bring home food when you can. But when you didn’t you would eat pretty badly in the cafeterias. Try to go to free school events and eating there to save some $, or have the healthiest options whenever possible!
The Bad:
Giving yourself no time to mentally relax or give yourself any YOU time, really, really took a toll on your mental health. If only you had realized how unnecessary half the stress you took upon yourself was, you’d be a much happier or at least a healthier person today. Maybe join the gym, take yoga classes, find ways to relax with what is offered at your school – it would go a long long way.
Take advantage of the student resources around you, no matter how much $ you think your parents have, one day they will be asking you for help. From counseling services to the financial aid office, college is one of the only times in life where people will be willing to help you finance your education. After college, you can learn more about your options to better finance your student loans.
A lot of the girls you are friends with, were friends with in those 4 years, you unfortunately don’t talk to or see much of once you leave. It is not your fault at all – too much drama and too many issues occurred in your friend group which caused it to basically break apart. Don’t worry though, none of them hate you and you kept the handful you needed close to you after you graduate, and that is all that matters.
What to learn from….
College taught you how to plan, organize, grow as a professional and attain skills and experiences you would not have gotten anywhere else. Sure it takes you awhile to determine what within business you want to study, and it takes you longer to get that first solid internship – but by senior year, you are soaring and that is all that matters.
Nothing else would i change about your college experience. Just that stress – that stress – you know what i’m talking about, if you had done something about it earlier, you would have saved so many gray hairs on your head today. Perhaps it was best though, the timing of everything in life is always perfect.
Don’t worry though. You were so fearful of graduation and just not knowing where life would take you, but look at you today. You are doing well, beyond well, for yourself. Increase your trust and faith in God and all will be well.
With so much love,
F.
I’d love to hear your guys’ thoughts on this. It was a little emotional to write that all out, only because i did love college. There are some things i wish i could have changed, but that’s for anything in life.
But i loved doing this post in collaboration with Earnest because it’s something so relate-able to a recent grad or someone who is in college now. I really hope you college kids who read my blog – find some sort of reassurance or hope in reading this. That would be all i could hope for from my blog.
If you guys have further questions, or want advice about college, i am in no means an expert but i have a lot of first hand experience that i would LOVE to share with anyone who could benefit from it. Shoot me an email if you want to discuss: sprinkleofsurprise@gmail.com
As always, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram to stay up to date on my blog happenings!
Until next time, XOXO
You mention so many things that I’ve done through as well! Such great advice for anyone who’s about to embark onto the wonderful and broke life we call studenthood.
This brings me back some memories. I remember when I graduated school. I was so happy to be stepping out to real life, whilst in the same time was this nostalgia of my friends and teachers.
Oh my gosh I really needed this, like no joke. I’m a freshman in college and I feel exactly how you described your first year. Stressed beyond belief :\ this makes me feel a lot better though, like I’m not alone in this craziness.