Don't worry. This isn't some sort of letter that admonishes you for wearing leggings as pants or making out in public places. No no. This is a letter that I wish someone had written for baby Emmaline after her freshman year.
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| Freshman Emmaline was very angsty. |
Sophomore year is radically different from freshman year. It seems that the campus divides between freshman and everyone else. It's not that we don't like you. In fact, we love you. We see a lot of ourselves in you and you inspire us with your enthusiasm. The chasm exists because you learn A LOT between freshman and sophomore year. It's not just who Hammurabi was or what "Egyptian Gold" implies. It's really just about life and growing up.
So I have some advice as you move from the comfy life that is freshman year to the harsh reality of sophomore year.
First of all, don't lose that love you have for Hillsdale during freshman year. Weirdly, Hillsdale has a sort of summer campy feel at the beginning. Everything is new, interesting, and exciting. It seems that you have all the time in the world and that happiness is perpetual. If you lose this spirit, Hillsdale becomes a dark, nasty place. You will find a lot of jaded upperclassman at Hillsdale who have lost the love that you have right now. Do they seem like fun? No. Don't be like them.
Next, don't overcommit because you think that you "have this whole Hillsdale thing figured out." Guess what? You don't. The comforting truth is that no one does. You think that writing a paper for one of your core classes is hard? Wait until you get to upper levels. Besides, Hillsdale inspires students to be excellent. If you are involved in too many extracurricular activities, you can never give yourself completely to the ones that matter most to you. And you won't have a social life.
Which leads me to my next point. Have a social life. Don't spend so much time trying to maintain a perfect GPA that your only friend is the bust in the library. Go to Winterfest. Go to an off-campus party once in awhile. Eat in Saga with different people everyday. It makes life a hell of a lot more fun. The nasty reality is that most professions don't really care about your GPA. Thank God for this, because otherwise I might be "funemployed" next year.
Also, don't give up on the friends that lived in your dorm freshman year. Some of my closest friends are the ones that I met in my first few weeks at Hillsdale. Things are going to be hard. You will join different Greek houses, break up, have fights, become competitive, and get bored. Love them anyway. Anything good is pretty difficult to achieve. Take it from a senior. I still regret many of the friendships that I have lost along the way. I thank God everyday, however, for the ones that have lasted all four years.
Now on to relationships. I'm not going to say that I am the relationship queen at Hillsdale, but I sure as hell could have made a lot of better decisions in my interactions with the opposite sex. Hillsdale is a small place. What you do, even freshman year, will follow you until you get your diploma. People talk. My advice: don't do anything at a party that you wouldn't admit to your aunt. And not that cool aunt who tells you about all the bad things she did when she was your age. The aunt that scares you and probably should wax her upper lip more often.
Finally, don't grow up too fast. Relish every moment at Hillsdale. I know - I'm getting a bit weepy and annoying. Cut me some slack! I'm graduating in eight weeks. It's stupid to think that Hillsdale is the only place that you will be surrounded with excellent people. But it's the only place where you will be surrounded by great people, fascinating classes, great mentors, horrible food, overly preppy people, a weird town culture, AND a million eagles. So slow down and enjoy yourself. It's a fun ride.
All my love,
Emmaline
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