Dear Freshman Self: Things I Wish I Knew Freshman Year of College

I was one of those high schoolers that could not wait to go away to college. I’d spend hours researching which school was the best fit for me and dreaming about what my college life would look like.

My college experience was definitely better than my high school experience, but it also wasn’t as dreamy and perfect as I anticipated. I had a lot of ups and downs during those four years.

I put a lot of pressure on idea that college had to be the best four years of my life. Because isn’t that what we’re all told about the college experience? Don’t get my wrong, aspects of my college experience were amazing.

I met my absolute best friend whom I think of as a soulmate. I took some amazing classes from amazing teachers. And I was living in NYC.

But college definitely wasn’t the best four years of my life. And I wish I could tell freshman Kayla that it’s okay if college isn’t the best four years of your life because the best is yet to come.

I love the idea of letters to your former self. Those nuggets of wisdom you wish your younger self had — ugh wouldn’t they have been SO useful? So here is my letter to my freshman self:

(Some things never change and you can still find me drinking iced lattes from Starbucks in various parks around NYC 😂)

A Letter To My Freshman Self

Dear Freshman Self,

Congrats! You’re finally living in NYC. It really, really happened. You have a 212 phone number in your dorm room and a New York, NY mailing address. That’s pretty cool.

That acceptance letter from NYU/Tisch was not a mistake. You really, really got in.

College is going to be a mix of amazing and meh. 

You’re going to meet a lot of people that want to change the way you work and think. Screw what other people think. I wish I would’ve stopped caring and started being me a lot sooner.

Some people will make a big deal of the fact that you don’t drink. But the people that matter won’t care. Your future boyfriend (spoiler alert, you went to high school together but you don’t know him yet!) won’t care. As you get older it will become less and less of an issue.

You’re going to be alone a lot, but realize this. Alone does not equal lonely. Enjoy that time and use it to your advantage.

You will change your major. You will graduate college and quit acting. It will be one of the scariest decisions you make. And you will feel like you’ve lost a chunk of your identity. But know this: it’s okay to change your plan. And your major. Twice.

Workout because you love yourself. Not because you ate crap for dinner. And not because it’s something you can control. Go to that yoga class, even though you’ll hate it at first. And holding downward dog will totally suck. It will change your life.

I know you’ve been waiting forever to graduate high school and leave that life behind. Don’t get me wrong, college will be MUCH better than high school. But the best is still yet to come.

Don’t worry too much about what happens next. You’re going to change your mind a million times anyway.

Love,
K

PS: Stop ordering non-fat chai’s from Starbucks. You’re lactose intolerant and that’s why you’re nauseous all the damn time. Thank me later.