Dear Class of 2016

Some advice to the graduating class for their first year of college.

Dear Class of 2016,

In just a few short weeks, you will walk across that stage and receive a diploma signifying and celebrating your last successful four years as a high school student. It will not hit you until about August when you are suddenly packing every tub and every suitcase into your car as you start your new journey elsewhere. But before we get too far, let us reflect on this past year. As seniors in high school, we have learned that this year has come with many “lasts.” Last homecoming, last high school football games, last year playing high school sports, last prom, last everything. I hope you have cherished every single one of those memories because you cannot go back and do them again. Most of you did not believe the upperclassmen when they said senior year goes by fast, but now do you believe them? In just a few short months, you will be off to make so many more unforgettable memories.

This summer will be like every other summer, lake days, working at your summer job, family vacations, and maybe a few more trips to Target to stock up on things like toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and pencils. June will fly by and then July will roll around and you will start counting down the days. 50 days seems like a long time but trust me, it goes by fast, almost as fast as senior year did. You will start going through your clothes and buying new decorations for your new “home” at college. You will buy outrageously expensive textbooks that you may never use, and last but not least, you will attend orientation where you finally meet your roommate whom you have been talking to through the screen of a phone for a few months and you finally get to meet them in person. Sometimes, that is the scariest part about college for some people. The scariest part is waking up that morning in August and packing the last few things in your car and saying goodbye to your best friends, your pets, your room, and most of all your parents; the people who have helped you become the person you are today.

It will all hit you that day, that day will creep up so fast, so fast that it will not seem real. Whether you will be driving across the state of South Dakota to Brookings or Vermillion, or just a short drive away to Spearfish, or a full day’s trip to a college out of state, I promise you will cry at least half of the way so be sure to have a box of Kleenex in the passenger seat and be sure to share them with your parents as you say goodbye to them. Another thing that I will promise you is that crying is totally and completely okay and you will cry numerous times as a college student.

Leaving your friends will be really hard, some you will stay in contact with and some you will not, which is okay. You will meet so many new people and some of them will become your new best friends. Guys and girls, I encourage you all to go through fraternity/sorority rush week if your school is involved in fraternity and sorority life! This is where you have a huge chance to meet tons of new people and become familiar with campus before school starts. Join a fraternity or a sorority if you think it is right for you, even if you do not join, you will still make so many friends during rush week. In college, you learn to do what makes you happy and you will realize you do not have other people judging your decisions like you did in high school. College is a whole different world and it is such a great experience for everyone.

College is a time to be yourself and grow as an individual. You will learn so much about yourself and what it is like to live without parents’ rules or really any rules at all. The only rule I suggest you to make for yourself is to go to class. It is so easy to sleep in or watch Netflix instead of going to class but you are paying for your education, please go to class and get good grades! High school was easy compared to college; it is an eye opener for many students. Yes, you will be up until 2am numerous nights, yes, you will write ten page papers, yes, sleeping in and skipping class will affect your grade immensely, and yes, finals are hard. So please, as you go on this journey by yourself, be smart in the decisions you make. The best advice I can give you is to set goals and hold yourself accountable. You are there to have fun, but you are also there to get an education.

Your parents are going to give you the same long speech every day until you leave, just because they are going to worry about you every minute you are away at college. This is what they will say, “go to class, study hard, always cover your drink, have fun, be safe, and use protection.” Please listen to them because they are right! Getting involved is a huge part in making your college experience fun. Be active in campus activities, go to all of the games (they are freaking awesome!!), play intramural sports, buy some cheap rollerblades and rollerblade around campus, work out, and just another tip, use your meals in the cafeteria, it is the closest thing you will get to a home-cooked meal.

Some things people say are “go to college single, it’s a lot more fun,” or “long distance relationships never work out.” Both are so untrue. You can have just as much fun while being in a long distance relationship and keep in mind; everything happens for a reason, if it does not work out it was not meant to be. Another myth is the freshman fifteen. Not everyone gains it, so do not believe the people who say you will gain the freshman fifteen no matter if you work out and eat healthy. It is not about any of that. I can count the number of times I worked out on one hand and I ate like crap and did not gain the freshman fifteen, I actually lost a few pounds so do not believe anyone when they tell you you will gain weight.

I will give you a few more tips and you will be on your way to your freshman year of college. Study, study, study. It is important that you study a lot for each test. When you are sleep deprived and think that studying 30 minutes before bed is going to be enough, it will not be enough. Tests are really the only thing some professors grade and they will immensely affect your grade. So take a few extra hours to study for tests to make sure you will pass. This one is simple; have fun but be safe. Please, when I say be safe, be safe. But have fun, too. In high school, clubs were not really a popular thing, but in college they are. Join as many as you can. You meet more upperclassmen all while being involved and that is the most important thing. Knowing upperclassmen is a bonus too; you can always ask them about future classes and professors and they are helpful when it comes to the social aspect of college. My last tip, participate in every event during your schools homecoming week. It is by far the best week of college; less homework, more fun. And to my fellow and future Coyotes and Jackrabbits, go to D Days and Hobo days, they are some of the best days of your life.

Overall, graduating high school is such a huge relief. Those four years were some of the best years of your life but come August, you are in for another crazy, exhilarating, amazing four years. College can be scary and it will be at first. Being hours away from your parents and friends and needing a shoulder to cry on is the worst especially when you are not comfortable with your roommate yet, but I promise, yes I am making another promise, that it will get better after the first few weeks when things start to settle in your new home away from home. College is also not for everyone, leaving home is not for everyone, and you will know if college is the place for you. You may miss home so much that you think you cannot make it any longer but you can, wait until the first semester is over and then you will know. Always know that it is okay if you do not like college, and it is okay to move back home. My time here has ended and I am going to leave it up to you guys, the Class of 2016, to make your first year of college the best one yet. I just ask a few things of you, please be safe and have fun. This time only comes once, so live it up.