Last week I had my last first day of school ever. Totally surreal. Four years of college flew by in the blink of an eye, yet looking back at the girl who first stepped foot on this campus in fall 2022- I hardly recognize her. College doesn’t change you in some dramatic, overnight way. Instead you’ll look back when it’s over and realize it shaped you through each decision, adventure, friendship, heartbreak, and so on. So as I enter my final semester, here is a letter to the freshman just starting her college journey. 

Dear college freshman, 

You’re about to spend the next few years growing in ways that you could never plan for. While that may sound scary, it is more exciting than anything. The world is your oyster. Here’s my biggest piece of advice (one that I wish I would have learned much sooner): say yes. Say yes to plans. Say yes to new experiences. Say yes to new friends. And most importantly, say yes to opportunities that scare you. As cliche as it may sound, the most fulfilling experiences are not found in your comfort zone. 

I remember my freshman year, when I decided to go on my first study abroad trip. Leaving for this trip I was an excited, but nervous, wreck. My roommate asked if I wanted to meet her at the airport. I had never been on a plane and was too anxious to navigate the airport on my own, so I asked if we could ride there together. Going on that trip absolutely changed my life. Just a year later I was living alone in a foreign country and flying solo across Europe on the weekends to visit international friends. Now three years later, I’m applying to jobs in a country that I’ve never been to before. If you would have told freshman year Emma that in less than four years she would be chasing after a life full of the unknown and unfamiliar, she would have never believed you. I experienced all of this growth by saying yes to one, single opportunity. Imagine all of the memories and opportunities we deny ourselves of by saying no and choosing our comfort zone. 

Being in a new environment means you’re going to feel lost sometimes. This is normal! Everyone feels this way occasionally, even the people who seem like they have it all figured out. Don’t let comparison steal the joy from your own journey. Your path and timeline doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s to be valid. 

I didn’t go to a big state school like most people from my high school. I didn’t join a sorority. I didn’t have a stereotypical “college experience.” There were times I wondered if I’d made the right decision or if I was missing out on something. But now, looking back, there isn’t a single thing I would change about my college experience. And I would never want to trade places with the people who followed a more “traditional” route. While their path worked for them, it didn’t have to work for me. If there’s one thing that I thank younger me for the most, it is that I didn’t let other people’s scepticism or judgement influence my decisions. College is your opportunity to shape yourself into whoever you want to be. Your entire life is a blank canvas, and you hold the paintbrush. 

As you navigate this phase of life, know that every single moment is shaping you into a stronger, more-sure-of-yourself version of you than you can even imagine right now. There will be days you wish time would slow down and others you can’t wait to move past, but one day you’ll miss them all. So take it all in. Be brave, be curious, and trust that you are exactly where you’re meant to be. 

This is just the beginning of your life, and I promise, it’s going to be absolutely wonderful!