Dear Freshman Amanda,
You’re about to begin an incredible journey. The four
years you’ll spend in college are unlike any other time in your life. Because
for four years you get to live with all of your closest friends. For four years
you get to take classes in things you’ve always wanted to learn about, and you
get to partake in clubs and events that you’ve always been interested in.
During your time in college you’ll discover so much about who you are and who
God is. College is a time of growth, it’ll give you some of your best days, and
probably some of your worst. It’ll be filled with so many memories, so many
late night laughs, and so many times the stress of it all just got the best of
you. But if there’s anything I’ve learned during my four years in college, it’s
the following:
You’re going to make friends. A lot of friends. Cherish
those friendships, they’re the ones that shape and define who you are. Surround
yourself with people who love you, and who draw you nearer to the Lord. You’re
also going to lose friends. But it will be okay, I promise. At the time, it
feels like the end of the world. Losing a friend is never easy, but sometimes
it’s for the best. Some people, no matter how much they mean to you, or how
close you become, are only meant to be in your life for a season. Cherish the
relationship for what it was, just because it didn’t last forever doesn’t mean
it wasn’t beautiful.
You’re going to date. You’re going to meet a boy and fall in
love and it will be incredible. You’ll learn what it means to love another
person, and you’ll be challenged in so many ways. You’re going to grow so much.
But you’re also going to experience heartbreak. The future you spent so long
picturing will be shattered, and you’ll have to figure out how to pick up the
pieces and move on. But know this, you will move on. You’ll find people to
carry you, and you’ll learn what it truly means to lean on the Lord and
surrender to Him.
You’re going to crack under the stress of finals. No matter
how much you try and avoid it, finals week, at one point or another, will break
you. But fear not, because it can only last for so long, and at the end of it
you can go home and not think about school for a while. And anyways, grades
aren’t everything. Invest in them, learn to love education, but don’t beat
yourself up if you don’t make the GPA you wanted by the time you graduate. It
really wont matter in the long run.
You’re worldview is going to be shattered. Whatever you
thought you knew about life will be completely obliterated in the wave of
diversity you’ll experience. You’ll come to know people of completely different
backgrounds than yours, you’ll take classes in things you’ve never learned
about before, and you’ll hear from speakers with totally different
perspectives. Don’t just believe whatever you hear, but don’t be so stubborn
and set in your ways that you don’t actually listen. Use what you learn to
shape your own worldview.
You’re going to let fear stop you. It’s terrible, but it’s
inevitable. You’ll want to be an RA, but you wont because of fear of getting
placed in a residence hall you’re uncomfortable in. You’ll want to go on a
mission trip but you’ll be terrified out of your mind. You’ll want to get
involved in clubs but wont because doing something new is scary and can be
challenging. Do it anyways. Don’t let any opportunity pass you by because you’re
scared. Feel the fear and do it anyways. Give your fears to God and do it
anyways.
You’re going to let your hill pride get in the way. The hill
is a great place to live, but it’s not everything. There are some pretty
awesome people on lower campus. Don’t let your hill mentality inhibit you from
making friends in road halls. It’s a hike, but it’s worth it. Get to know
people you don’t just run into in your dorm. Even if it feels forced and
awkward, just do it. These relationships might turn out to be the ones that
impacts you the most.
You’re going to get lazy. Don’t. The gym isn’t that far, the
snow isn’t that bad, it isn’t that cold. Wherever you want to be, whatever you
want to do, find a way to do it. Netflix in bed always seems like the better
option until you’re actually doing what you were too lazy to do. Get out and do
things. You wont remember the days you spent in your room because it was
raining outside and you didn’t feel like walking to another friend’s room. What
you’ll remember are those moments shared with the amazing people you have just
a walk away. The walk may seem far, but it’s the closest they’ll ever be.
You’re going to hate it. One day you’ll wake up and hate
every single thing about it. You might ever wake up 100 days and hate it. On
those days, focus on the good. Turn your eyes to the Lord, rest in the things
that are going well, and find a way to hold on. The good days are coming, they
might be right around the corner, so please don’t lose sight of why you love
it.
You’re going to dislike your roommate. And sometimes your
roommate will be your friend. Don’t lose them because their living habits
conflict with yours or end up annoying you. The best thing you can do is learn
to love them for who they are in spite of the things they do that bother you. Cherish
them, love on them, be grateful for them. Living with people is hard, but it
can work. Make it work. Fight for it to work.
You’re going to let your spiritual disciplines get lost in
the business. You’ll set it a last priority above school work, spending time
with people, or just procrastinating. Don’t. Commit to spending time alone with
God each and every day. Make it a part of your life. Ingrain it into who you
are. Set aside time to dive into your relationship with the Lord, it’s the only
one you’ll surely have for life, and the only one that won’t be gone once you
graduate. There’s no more important relationship to develop than that with the
Lord. Give Him thanks, give Him praise, turn to Him with your doubts and fears
and anxieties, He love you anyways.
You’re going to take it all for granted. You’ll go to sleep
one night a freshman and you’ll wake up a senior. Four years seems like forever
when you’re packing up your things and moving away from home, but it is going
to go by so fast. Hold on to it. Don’t ever for a moment take anything for
granted. Don’t take for granted your friends, don’t take for granted your RD,
don’t take for granted you experiences and opportunities. Don’t take a single
thing for granted, because it’s going to fly by. You won’t even realize it, but
it’ll be gone, and you wont ever be able to get it back.
Cherish everything, cherish the pain, cherish the little
moments and the big, cherish the sun and the rain and the snow, the food you
don’t like that much and the late nights alone in the cubicle in the library.
Cherish the Chapels you can’t focus in, and the meetings you attend, and the
sports teams you play on, and the books you read. Cherish the struggles and
cherish the victories. Cherish these years, because they are worth cherishing.
College is one of the most uniquely beautiful times in life.
But one day it’ll slip away into a memory, so do everything you can to make it
a good one. Make your story complete; don’t leave any blanks, don’t miss any
chance. Do what you’re afraid to do, and do what you love. Push yourself to
take risks, but discipline yourself to be smart. Make good choices, but also make
mistakes. Challenge yourself to bigger things, but don’t beat yourself up when
you fall short. You’ve got four years ahead of you, do whatever you can to make
them the best they can be.
With love,
Senior Amanda
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