Dear 18-Year-Old Me:
Well, congratulations on both graduating high school and making it to your 18th birthday. In one month, you’ll be starting your first semester of college.
You’ll spend a few weeks feeling sorry for yourself, after being removed from everyone you knew and loved, but things will markedly improve around October when you meet the girls whom you’ll live with for the remainder of your time at school.
In your sophomore year, you’ll meet the guys who drive you crazy and give you headaches, while still somehow endearing themselves to you.
By your junior year, you’ll find yourself on a plane, ready to spend the next four months in Scotland.
You’ll return in time for your senior year, where everything suddenly seems more valuable because it will all end soon.
But, for now, you’re still 18, so enjoy the last summer of truly living at home. I’ve thrown together some bits of advice that might be helpful in the years ahead.
Make sure you surround yourself with good people. Avoid those who only bring out the worst in you.
If you appreciate someone, let them know. Give that certain professor a glowing review, but also tell their department chair about how much you enjoyed the class.
Hold onto more than just photos from parties and events. Keep old papers, exams, tickets stubs, etc. Take photos of a normal day, when you’re doing nothing more than hanging out in your dorm with a couple of friends. Nights at bars will always be fun to remember, but don’t overlook the time spent playing Mario Kart or watching your favorite Tuesday night show with your housemates.
Remember what Mom taught you: If you have a problem with something, take the initiative to get involved and fix it, like joining the Residence Student Council.
Your closest friends in college will become your family. Fighting will be an inevitability, especially if you live together. Hash it out, say (or yell) your piece, and then move on. One fight isn’t worth ending your friendship.
With that said, learn to pick your battles. Know when to stand up for yourself and when to hold your pride.
Go easy on College Activities. A lot of students will complain about the lack of events, while not actually participating in the events that are offered. College Activities has to somehow make 5,000 people happy, so try to be a bit forgiving.
Really get to know the people in your major. They’re the ones who not only have the same passion as you, but also they’re the ones you’re most likely to need as you all enter your respective fields of work.
You’ll have the next four years to try new attitudes, beliefs, etc., until you find the combination that best suits you. Make the most of your time, and don’t be afraid to go outside the paradigm. Either your leap into the unfamiliar will make you more secure in your understanding of yourself, or you’ll be able to start over after you graduate.
Finally, never forget about your family. They’re the ones who have been there for you for the last 18 years, and they’ll also be there for the rest of your life. Your college friends will become a second family to you, but don’t discount those you left behind.