sjsprWriting

Dear Seniors, 

I hope I'm not that SJS alumn that everyone already forgot about, because I certainly haven't forgotten about you. 

I'm in my writing class, here in the heart of Boston, researching blogs, and I couldn't help but type in the same URL I would type in every Thursday last year.

I have forgotten what 80 degrees feels like, the sun is setting at 4:30 PM, and I can't leave my room with anything less than two layers. My homesickness is through the roof. 

I don't know why I'm writing to you. Maybe it's because I need cathartic release, or because I'm procrastinating the lab report I have to write up. But here I am, about to tell you the same things you're probably hearing every five minutes:

I don't want you guys to make the same mistakes I made last year. I know you're all probably horribly stressed right now, but please stop for a second to enjoy what you're experiencing right now: one of the best years of your life. 

I know it doesn't seem that way right now. I know you're all finishing up (or starting, I don't judge) your college applications right now, I know it seems like life is throwing you countless decisions that seem impossible to make at this moment. But seriously. About a year from now, you'll be missing this more than ever. 

Don't get me wrong; I love college. I love Northeastern, I love Boston (except for the damn cold), and even though all of you probably won't come here, I know you'll probably love wherever you end up. And if you don't, no worries; you'll eventually find the place you belong. 

But please. Take a moment to hug your best friends, because, while you see them every day right now, a year from now, you'll barely be able to text them once a week. 

Take a moment to hug Ms. Erickson, because a year from now, you won't understand how you went from such an intimate class to classes with more than 100 other students, where the professor doesn't even know your name. 

PLEASE. Take a moment to walk down to the beach, and hug the sand. Because you can't hug snow (well, you can try, but don't call me when you're in the hospital with frost bite). 

Take a moment to hug your parents. Every single day. Because even if you're mad at them for any reason, they have sacrificed more than 18 years of their lives for you. They'll be there to support you no matter what, and will always love you unconditionally. And your mom cooks for you and does your laundry. Doing laundry sucks. 

And most of all, go to Brava EVERY SINGLE THURSDAY (but go to school on Friday, of course. You don't want fuga taken away, just like us). Because frat parties are gross, dorm parties are pointless and usually end with someone throwing up or falling out of a window (true story), and fake ID's are expensive (and will most likely be taken away, so it's not even worth it). 

You're all probably dying for next year to come, to be immersed in the college lifestyle. I understand; college is your first step towards independence, your first shot at living alone. But this independence comes with a lot of new responsibilities, for it is your first taste of adulthood. You'll find yourself questioning your future and your past every second, especially while you're writing up nine page lab reports. 

So please, enjoy this year, be happy, and get amazing tans. Because a year from now, you'll be as pale as the snow that's about to fall.

With love, 

Tati