An Open Letter To My Freshman Year of College

Wow─I just completed my freshman year of college.

Oh my goodness. I just completed my freshman year of college.

Seriously! I just completed my freshman year of college.

If you've been keeping up-to-date on all my blog posts this year, you know that I absolutely love college. The friendships, the people, life in the dorm, the opportunities I've been provided─they've all contributed to the amazing experience I've had. It's crazy to think that freshman year is in the past. (Okay, only by a day or two.) But honestly...didn't I just move in last week? I've got three more years ahead of me. I'm just hoping they don't go as fast as this one. (From what I'm told─they will.)

Now that it's all said and done, I think it's appropriate that a few thanks be put into place. So in honor of my first year on campus at NWC, there are a few things I would like to say.

An open letter to my freshman year of college:

To my best friends,

You know ladies─this has been quite the year. From deep conversations late at night to treks through the snow for ice cream, we've experienced quite a bit. People always told me I'd make some life-long friends in college, and you know what? They were right. I know this is pretty cliche, but you have literally seen me at my best and seen me at my worst. You've supported me and prayed for me and knocked quite a bit of sense into my head. And for that, I'm thankful. 
I'm thankful for your presence, for the way you've welcomed me into your lives, and for all the memories we've shared. I'm thankful for sushi, trips to Sioux City, volleyball in the fitness center, ice cream late at night, Sunday dinners at my house, and many extended offers for coffee. I'm sure as heck gonna miss you this summer. Oh boy you'd better believe I'm gonna miss you. But here's the deal─we've got three more years. And you'd better believe that I'm pumped for what's ahead.

To my professors,

You really do like assigning homework, don't you? Sometimes I have to remind myself that I came here to study. Thanks for those daily reminders. But actually, thank you. Thanks for investing in me and pushing me to improve. Thank you for laughter and prayers before class. The work hasn't always been easy, some nights have been pretty late, but in all reality─I'm learning. I'm learning what it means to discuss in class and to focus while reading the textbook. I'm learning that eventually there really does come a point when I just need to stop studying and do something for myself. I'm learning that learning is actually kind of fun. When finals roll around next year, and I'm questioning all of this learning and studying, please direct me back to this blog post. That'd be helpful.

(Shout out to Dr. Jongerius─I mean Mom─for being my favorite professor. You're professor of the year in my eyes Mom.)

To the many lovely individuals who I have come to know on campus,

You guys rock. (You know who you are.) Thank you for lunch dates and sincere conversations. Thanks for going on trips with me to the gym and for taking several repetitive photos with me. Thanks for double dates, movie nights, games of pool, and meals in the caf. Thanks for studying with me and encouraging me. Thanks for cracking jokes with me in class and visiting me at work. I appreciate you guys. There are several friendly faces around campus, and I'm glad we've been able to establish more than just light hellos, but honest friendships and conversations. There's a lot I take for granted, and seeing all of you around campus everyday is definitely one of those things.

To the girls on my wing,

Thanks for all the laughter. Thanks for cracking jokes, and being silly, and going along with almost every single crazy idea that was thrown out there. I had always looked forward to life in the dorm. After living with one younger brother my whole life, the thought of living with several other women my own age was pretty darn exciting. By my second night in the dorm, I was no longer looking forward to what I believed would be one of the greatest experiences of my life, I was living it. I was living it, and I was loving it. 
Thanks for your encouragement, and your support. Thanks for going on road trips with me and taking me home to meet your families. Thanks for coming over to my house for movie nights and Sunday lunches. Thanks for encouraging me to be spontaneous, for deep talks at D-groups, and for loaning me your clothes for special nights out. 
More than anything, thanks for living life with me. Thanks for opening your lives and your hearts, for your daily presence. Through each one of you I have daily observed beauty in laughs, smiles, moments of vulnerability, and simple conversations. I can't wait to see where God leads each of you in the years to come.

To my family back home,

I know 'back home' really isn't too far from campus, but it actually takes quite a bit for me to muster the willpower to walk all the way across the parking lot to my car. (I know this doesn't surprise you.) Thank you for being flexible and allowing me to stop in on my own schedule: with friends, with my boyfriend, to do laundry, to come and get bananas─you never turned me away. Thanks for understanding when I told you I wouldn't be home for breaks. I'm an adult now, as you say, and I truly appreciate the freedom you've accepted is mine. 
Thank you for trusting me to make my own decisions, for offering advice when it is asked for, and allowing me to test the waters when I wish to do so. Thank you for understanding that though I'm a short drive away, I'm not home all the time. Thank you for opening our home so that friends could come over for dinner, and thank you, thank you, thank you for leaving everything in my bedroom as is. Eating my Christmas candy, however, is something we will discuss later.

(To Grandpa and Grandma─thank you for the weekly meals at your house. They've been very appreciated, and very delicious!)

To my roommate,

Let me just say that I am so glad we were placed together. Thanks for your patience, and your understanding, and your genuine heart, and your care for others, and your laughter, and your mischief, and everything. I don't know what I'll do with a room of my own this summer. Talk to myself, I suppose. (Who am I kidding, we both know I already do that.) Thanks for trips to the Hub for sugar cookies, and random excursions around campus. Thanks for supplying me with cashews, for "randomly" matching with me, for exploring with me around campus, and for keeping the positive attitude alive. I'd tell you you're the best roommate ever, but you already know that.

To the boy I met on the campus green,

Where do I even begin? I'm gonna miss you like crazy this summer, you already know that. When August rolls around and you head off to study abroad, I'll tell myself it's going to be okay─because I'm a strong individual, and certainly strong individuals don't cry. Then I'll see a couple holding hands across campus or laughing with each other at dinner, and that's when I'll lose it. When our one year anniversary rolls around in October, and you're off exploring the European countryside, you know what I'll be doing? (I know, I know. There is much more to my life than just you.) But I can't say that a big part of me won't be missing you. Though it's not all bad, is it? I thank the good Lord for the invention of Skype, Facebook chat, and even snail mail. (Now I just pray that you get WiFi over there.) 
Thank you for accepting me as I am, each and every little detail. Thanks for walks downtown and trips with me to HuHot, for long hugs and all your little jokes. 
Thank you for respecting who I am and who I strive to be, for encouraging me and supporting me and simply spending time with me. You're special, you know that? I've never dated anyone for this long a time period before. (Then again, I've never been in a relationship before. Congrats─you made the cut.) Thank you for your patience, for your love. Thank you for understanding that some days I will cry and some days I'll laugh longer than is probably necessary. Thank you for opening my eyes to the reality that there is no such thing as perfection. Though I may strive for it, it will never be achieved. Thank you for walking that road with me and helping me to understand that God created me in His image, that I am a beautiful being whom He has crafted and formed. 
You're pretty amazing, you know. I can't believe you think I'm just as amazing. Tell your parents I said thanks for keeping you around. I think I'll do the same.

[Interested in reading more? Check out the Blog Archive to the right to find links to my other posts.]


If you liked this post, you might like...
The Pros & Cons of Living In a Dorm Room
What It's Like To Go To College In Your Hometown
Is My First Semester of College Really Over?
College: Week 1
What It's Like To Have The Worst Roommate Ever



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