A Letter to My Freshman Self

Welcome back to campus! I hope everyone had a pleasant first week back at Missouri State. My first week was quite busy, but overall, a great experience. I got to see old friends and make new ones. I’m still adjusting to my new schedule, which is a lot busier than I am used to, but I know I will feel much better once I’ve gotten into the groove of things. For this blog post, I wanted to try a different format and write a letter to my freshman self. I wanted to be able to tell my younger self about all the things I wish I had known during my freshman year.

Dear Georgia,

I know you are so excited to start your freshman year of college. I realize that you probably think that you have no idea what you’re doing, but trust me, you will figure it out! There will be a period of adjustment, tears, and frustration, but you will get through it. I should know, I am you. The hardest part of doing anything is getting started, so you have already gotten the jump on things. You had the courage to begin, and now you just need the persistence to stick it out. To help you do that, here is a non-exhaustive list of things you may want to know:

1. You will need to study. I know, this is a real bummer, but it will serve you well! You have to figure out what works for you, and that will take some trial and error, but you will get there. It’s not as bad as it seems, and can even be fun! By the way, try making studying into a game because as it turns out that works out well for you!
2. Learn the Bear Line routes. I am saying this as a favor to your future self, considering I am a senior now and have just figured them out. It’d be great if you could do that sooner. Please and thank you.
3. You are going to make some great friends. They say you make your best friends in college, and I am here to say that they are correct. That randomly assigned roommate you have, for instance. She is going to be one of your closest friends. Even though you are in a new environment, don’t be afraid to talk to people!
4. Talk to your professors. I know you’re a sociable person, but I am here to tell you that extending that into interacting with your instructors will be so helpful. They are there for you! They can be used as excellent resources and references for future endeavors.
5. Study what you love. I know you’re a little unsure about your field of study right now. I’m letting you know that you made the right choice! There is no need to stress over such things. You have all the time in the world, but life is still short. Spend your life doing something you actually enjoy.

I hope this helps when you need it the most and if nothing else, this should put your mind at ease. You’re going to be okay and an even better version of yourself at the end of it all. You’re going to grow and change so much over the next few years so just sit back and let it happen. Allow yourself the space to learn and improve and who knows, you just might thank me later.

With all the love,

Your future self

Takeaways

I hope this was as useful to you as it was for healing me. Consider writing a letter to the younger version of yourself too. It’s a nice feeling to tell yourself that you’ll be okay. Let those parts of yourself that were scared, nervous or excited know that everything will work out one way or another. Even if it’s not what you thought it’d be, it’ll turn out just as good. Thank you for reading, I will leave you with this quote from Haruki Murakami:

“When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what the storm’s all about.”

~ Georgia

(Bio: My name is Georgia Grace Wright, a senior at MSU majoring in Communication Studies with minors in both Creative Writing and Anthropology.)