An Open Letter to the First-Year Me.
As I approach the end of my fifth (and final) year in college, I am only beginning to acknowledge how much things have changed both inside and outside me. Looking at what is different now and everything I’ve learned, here’s a letter of advice I would’ve appreciated five years ago today.
Dear Priyanshi,
It’s me. I mean, you. Well, you get the picture. Congratulations for cracking JEE! College must feel overwhelmingly happening after your two-year exile from worldly pleasures. At this point, you probably feel like you’ve got it all figured out and everything seems to be under control. Well, I hate to break it to you, but…you don’t. You will still be getting accustomed to your new surroundings and swoosh….you won’t be a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed first year anymore.
I’ve compiled a list of things to keep in mind during your first year. Here are some key pieces of advice that I really could’ve used as a freshwoman:
Room is meant only for sleeping. Get out there!
I know you didn’t see much of the outside world in two years and you love your cocoon. I also know that your warm and cosy bed is tempting especially with so much free time on your hands but keep away from it until bedtime. My main regret from my first few months in college was failing to go to the various events held on campus or even utilizing all that was available on campus. I restricted myself to my room or the library (judge me for being a maggu if you want). You need to go out there and try everything you want to. I know you have learned to perfect the art of time management in high school. Eat. Sleep. Slog. Repeat. Make it, Eat. Sleep. Slog. Live. Repeat. Stop stressing over an exam (which you can easily score good on with one day of studying) or roommate drama and do something. Go to a guest talk. Attend a club meeting. Experience a photo walk on the Ghats. Audition for a singing competition. Take your friends on a spontaneous trip to Lakhaniya Dari. No experience is a waste of time (not in your first year at least).
It’s okay to not know things. Just hang in there!
You will meet a lot of people (seniors especially) who would know a lot of things (alternate career paths, TV shows, philosophy, online courses, important alum contacts, anime, music that feels like noise?, how to get a dog to like you?!!… I know, I know, it’s a LOT!) that you barely even knew existed. They will also make you feel that these things are super important. Well, some of them are and it’s important to listen to everything but you also need to have your own filters so that you don’t feel lost in a sea of information. At this point, just breath and tell yourself that it’s okay to not understand all of it, all you need to do is hang in there and things will start making sense with time. How? Cultural Adaptation. It takes time, but it does happen.
Be Open. But the Right Amount.
This is your first year of college. This is your time to be open to new experiences, people, and most importantly, yourself. But most of us overdo it and end up at a dead end. What I have learned is this, (it gets a little artsy, spare me :p)
Be open to influence, but not to brainwashing. Be open to happiness but not euphoria. Be open to losing but not despair. Be open to winning but not to complacency. Be open to making mistakes but not to making the same one twice. Be open to trusting a friend but not letting them walk all over you. Be open to falling in love but not forgetting to love yourself.
It’s NOT the time to make life decisions.
Jumping to make career choices already? It’s tempting, right? I understand that it’s convenient to survive in social circles if you have definite answers to “ What are your plans after college?”. But keep dodging them and give yourself time to unfold. Trust me, you would be surprised at how your interests, dreams and goals would evolve during college (I let myself loose and shifted from Aerospace engineering in the first year to Bioengineering in my final year).
You only get one first year. Live it to the fullest.
With all the love and luck in the world,
Priyanshi
Author's Note
All the advice in the above letter is from personal experience. I would be glad to hear from you if you found something interesting, would like to add something, or just have more questions. :)
