Dear Freshman Hanna
Today I woke up, got dressed, and went to my last first-day-of-school ever. Since I have no plans to go to graduate school, it truly marks the beginning of the end of my academic career.
As I was getting ready, I started thinking of a list of things I would've told myself on my very first day of my undergrad career; things that might have helped me navigate the craziness and confusion that was my first semester of college (as well as the next 3.5 years).
So here is the list of things I came up with:
1. Talk to everyone. I mean literally everyone who you come in contact with. Don't sit there awkwardly because you don't know anything about them; resist the urge to dodge small talk (even though you hate it) and learn something new about a random person. You never know... they could become your best friend.
2. Join a Bible study or small group. This is one of the only things that I regret not doing. If one doesn't feel right, don't give up and say "I'll give it another shot next semester". You're going to crave that closeness that can only come from spending time with like-minded believers, and you're going to want that source of accountability and community.
3. Spend money on memories, not things. I know that sounds cheesy, but think about it this way: are you going to look back and remember when you bought those cute boots that you thought you had to have, or that awesome road trip to Nashville? Being in college means money is going to be tight, so you've gotta make some judgment calls on what's worth your hard-earned cash.
4. Never stop taking pictures. You might be a bit camera-crazy at first (especially when you get your Canon sophomore year), but trust me, you won't regret it. Make it a habit to bring your camera with you everywhere, and capture the little things that you'd never otherwise give a second thought (i.e., meals with friends in the Caf). Looking back at these will be almost as fun as the memories were the first time around. Almost.
5. Don't forget about your hobbies. Just because you're busy with school and friends and work (and maybe occasionally sleeping) doesn't give you the right to neglect doing the things you love! Sure, it's tempting to sit back and catch up on your Hulu shows, but maybe consider pulling out the old drawing pad and sketching a few pictures while you do that. Or maybe set aside an hour or two to sit on the quad and read a book just for fun. And don't forget about the piano practice rooms!
6. Stay in touch with your family. Mom and Dad have some good advice. So do your sisters. Staying close with your family is what's going to get you through your absolute worst days. Make it a point to call at least once every other day or so. And while you're at it, don't just talk about yourself when you call, because they have things going on in their lives too.
7. Don't be afraid to say goodbye. Not everyone is meant to stay in your life forever, and you'll find that you're gonna be much happier once you learn how to weed through the people who are building you up vs. the ones who are only serving to drag you down.
7. Don't worry about popularity. The number of Facebook friends, Instagram followers, or people who you sit with at lunch does not matter. I am not exaggerating when I say that literally nobody cares. What does matter is finding even just one or two people who love you just the way that you are, without putting on any kind of show or pretending to be someone that you aren't. These are the only people you need to be focused on, and if that means that your friend group is significantly smaller than what you had hoped, c'est la vie. When it comes to friends, quality over quantity wins any day in my book.
8. Be present. Put that phone down when you're with other people. You might not care about the story that your friend's friend is telling or the lecture that your professor is going on about, but if you're gonna sit there staring at your screen, you might as well just blurt out and say "You are duller than dishwater" - because that's the message that you send when you're that focused on your phone as opposed to the person that's right in front of you.
9. Don't "check out". There will be days where you just will stop caring about school, work, and your social life altogether. The days when you'll just say, "Pshhh. What does it matter, I'm graduating in 8 months anyways." Don't do that. Focus on the moment that you're in right now. You may as well make the most of your time here right now, as opposed to just kind of aimlessly meandering through your college experience.
And that's my short list (ha!). While I don't pretend to have it all figured out, I do know that this part of your life is going to be tumultuous, emotional, hilarious, stressful, amazing and unforgettable. I can only hope that my best days are still ahead of me, because my four years at Samford are going to be pretty hard to beat.
- Senior Hanna