When I was a freshman, I looked at seniors and saw them as these wise and mature people who had everything figured out. The first few weeks of senior year come as a shock, because there’s no clear transition from confused to in control—one day you’re a senior, and that’s that. Seniors are really no different than freshman. We’re still just as stressed, just about different things. We’re older, but we’re still only seventeen or eighteen years old—we don’t know what’s going on either. This same thinking will always apply. I think it’s important to see that nobody is really the great figure you imagine them to be—we’re all scared of our problems and we’re all worried about the future. It’s only what we’ve seen that sets us apart.

Freshman and sophomore year are kind of hazy to me, probably because I spent most of it doing nothing and being bored. My advice is to do more, go to more parties, try out more new things with your friends, go out of your comfort zone—it’ll make those first couple of years more memorable. I would say to go to more games, but I feel like that’s cliche and honestly I don’t know if I would advise that.

I spent a considerable amount of time in my sophomore, junior, and senior years in a state of panic and borderline meltdown. I saw getting good grades and a high GPA and a high SAT as vital to securing the future I wanted. People will tell you that you should relax, because at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter—this flew right over my head, because it 

mattered to me. But the truth is that they don’t. Don’t get anxiety attacks, just do your best. Even if you don’t do well, there’s community college; I know this is a frightening prospect to some people, but it shouldn’t be considered a negative thing. It’s not only cost efficient, but it means you have a second chance if things don’t go as planned. I was lucky enough to get into NYU, but if I hadn’t, a year or two in community and I probably would be in the same exact place. In the long run, it doesn’t matter enough to spend four years of your life on the verge of a heart attack.

In conclusion, I would say just try to enjoy yourself–there’s nothing to be afraid of.