A Letter to the Student Scared to Make Friends

College is supposed to be exciting - and for the most part, it is! But when you look out at the crowd of incoming freshman at orientation, it's easy to think, "What am I going to do with all these people?"

There's a lot of pressure put on you the first week of school to be best friends with everyone you meet. Here's the thing: most likely, the friends you make during your orientation are probably not going to be your friends for the rest of the school year. I haven't spoken to the couple of friends I had during orientation since classes started. And that's okay. People need to cling to each other when they are encountering something new, but you'll have more time to make truer, stronger friendships once you get in to the swing of things. And, who knows? Maybe the girl you meet on your first day will be your best friend. The point: don't worry so much about it!

A Letter to My Younger Self

Dear Freshman Sophie,

You're not so excited about your freshman year, I know, because your school doesn't allow you to actually attend the high school until you're a sophomore. While this sucks because it doesn't feel like you're starting a new point of life, you'll see how wrong that is. In fact, this year is the start for so many wonderful things.

What I Wasn’t Told About the Summer Before College

It's easy to get caught up in college prep, but don't forget to pay attention to the present.

At the end of the school year, it felt like move-in day was never going to arrive. Now, with less than a month left before I take off 2,000 miles away, it feels like everything is happening at once.

With the end of summer approaching, preparing for my own sendoff coincides with preparing to say goodbye to others. This, I didn’t realize, is the hardest part about the summer before college.