Hey, you made it! Congrats on beginning a new chapter in
your life. College is going to be really cool and good for you and I am excited
for you. You are going to be in a new place, new country. Hope you brought
things that are a memory of your hometown. You will miss it. You will miss your
friends and your family. You will miss the streets you walked. You will miss
riding on your motor scooter around town. But there are going to be exciting things
in store for you. I wish that you will become a wonderful learned women. There
will be hardship but it will make you understand life a little better.
As you step into the school, everything will look really cool. First
day, week, and month, I hope you explore, talk to people and make new friends.
Do not get intimidated and overwhelmed about being a stranger there. All
freshmen will feel that way. Instead cherish new encounters, people and
environment. Lend a helping hand to someone. Smile a little and if someone
smiles back, introduce yourself. Discover your favorite spot on campus. Take your new friends
there and talk about why you are in college. Talk about your aspirations and
theirs. Get excited about each other’s future.
Study. Prepare. Have a daily schedule. Go to the gym every
morning, that is, if you wake up early. Or even better, go swimming regularly,
if there is a pool. You can even try to be an athlete and join the college swim
team.
Again, study. I will sound just like your school-teacher,
but finish your homework everyday. Then when you have time go out for a movie
or dinner in your friend’s car. Ask questions in class. Make friends with your
classmates and professors. Pick classes that you can handle. Or may be ones
that are challengingly fun. Have a plan to graduate on time. Learn. Use the
professor’s office hours to discuss assignments or readings. And yes, read. Do
your chapter readings on time. That is the best way to stay engaged in the
class. Also buy books online; it is way cheaper than the bookstore. Buy them
ahead of time and read.
Join a club or a sports team early on. You will build a
family there. Find what you really enjoy other than classes and do them. Stay warm in the winters. Stay happy. Embrace the fall,
spring and summer. They are all unique and you will find something nice about
each. Hope your first snowfall will be beautiful.
You might find it hard to get a part-time job. May be get into
research and ask your professors if they could make you their research
assistant. Discover what intrigues you and perseveringly follow that. Do not
get dejected.You will find it hard to manage your time. Again, schedule all the fun parts and
difficult parts of your day wisely.
Do not get uncomfortable in the cafeteria. Offer a seat to
someone or sit with anybody. Frequent the library and read your favorite books.
Do your homework there and take naps in between.
Visit a friend's family. They will treat you as their own.
Be frugal but treat yourself sometimes. Decorate your dorm room with string
lights and pictures of your favorite moments, people and things. Create a bulletin board to stay up to date with
things. Keep a daily or weekly journal too. Write your goals in it for the day, week or month. Buy a microwave and snack on some popcorn when you feel like. Or make a
Nutella and bread cake. Also, go to
camping events and have smores. Explore
the community around campus. Visit the nearest big city and spend a night there
with friends.
May be save some money or find a scholarship to study
abroad. Plan ahead and figure out when and where. Go to school parties and
learn a move or two. Get to know your school. It is your new home. Go to sporting
events and cheer for your college team. Go to socials, pizza parties, and
others.
Visit us, your cousins, now and then and call us if you need somebody
to talk to. Call your mom and dad every now and then. Hope you will learn a lot and make the best of your college
life.
Love,
Richa
P.S. this is probably not it, hope you find much more to do,
learn, and become.
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| Sometime in the late nineties |
