So starting off at UCI ten weeks ago, I was an emotional mess haha. Reality had hit me along with the realization that I would be living far away from my family for the first time, and also every single doubt that came into my mind. I started stressing whether this was the right place for me to be even though the quarter had just barely started, and whether I needed to begin my career search at that very moment before it was too late. It felt like I was just thrown into the college world at the last second; it came up on me way too quickly! I wasn’t ready to start thinking about my career, what I wanted to study, or even what my interests were. I felt behind already. I have a friend who’s currently in their senior year of highschool at the moment who recently got accepted into a university, and she is going through the same dilemma as I had. So I wrote a quick letter of reassurance to her, a letter that I wish I had read myself ten weeks ago: Leaving for college is scary at first. It’ll be like that at first no doubt about it, but. it’ll slowly get much better just give it time to adjust. The great thing I’ve gained so far from my college experience is that it showed me that there was so much opportunity that it provided that I wouldn’t find back home, but it also made me appreciate my home more as well. I originally thought that college would be the time where I had to go off and leave my family and live on my own forever, but that’s not true at all. In fact, college gives you so much more freedom academically and socially. You get to choose what you want to do from now on, you can visit home whenever you want, or learn things that you actually care about. You’re going to have a great time. It’s a chance where you get to find what you really want to do in life and you’ll feel like you’re actually making progress and going places. I know that sounds really corny, but that’s from my experience so far. Also remember that you’re family will always be there for you, and you can go back home anytime you need to. I think probably the most daunting part about college is that it’s the first time that you have to live far away from your family, and also that you feel like there is this expectation that you need to start taking your life seriously. Well, first of all, airplanes exist so please take a speedy flight back home for the holidays to visit your family. And let me tell you right now, even if you have very little idea of what you want to do with your life, what career you want, or what you think your future will look like, that’s completely okay. Right now, I’m literally just taking any classess with subjects of my interests in hopes that one of those subjects will evolve into something more. Do not stress your first year in college. This is a time where you actually get to find out what your interests are and explore them further without worrying so much about focusing soley on what job you need to get once you graduate….save that for your third year self to worry about lol. Have fun your first year, try to make the most out of it. I’m so proud of you.