A Letter to my First-Year Self

To my first-year self:

I know how excited you are to start this brand new chapter and journey in your life. I can feel it as if it was yesterday. The boost of serotonin you got from each item you packed to take your new dorm room, masked by the anxiety of not knowing anyone in the brand new place you were headed to. I want you to know that all the advice you got before coming to Barnard, it was true — it just took some time for you to realize how and when to use that advice. 

I want you to know that these really will be the best four years of your life. You will meet the most amazing people in your life, people whom you consider your sisters by the end of college. You will do absolutely extraordinary things you were destined to do and push yourself beyond belief. Would you believe me if I told you that you would be double majoring? Would you believe me if I told you that one of those majors would be Computer Science? You will do research and win competitions for the project you worked on through Barnard’s Summer Research Institute. You will become one of the leaders of Computer Science clubs and meet passionate CS majors and build friendships that last beyond homework assignments and studying for finals. 

But you will doubt yourself, of course. You will be surrounded by people from all different types of backgrounds who have also done extraordinary things to get to exactly where you are. You will no longer be the big fish in the small pond you once were in high school. And that’s okay. You will be insecure of your abilities and question how and why you made it to this competitive institution. But you will soon learn that you belong. You were admitted into Barnard for a reason and once you realize that, you will blossom. There will be obstacles. Would you believe me if I told you that the whole world will shut down because of a virus and turn your whole life upside down? 

And yet, you will get through it. You will build incredible projects to build your portfolio and continue to inspire prospective students, even virtually, by talking about your experiences. You will make the dean’s list, even after taking classes that you struggled through. 

So enjoy the next four years because you will soon be writing a letter to your past self, reliving memories as if they happened yesterday, ready to embark on the next chapter of your life.