This past winter while taking my daughter to school, she challenged me to a race. Naturally, I couldnt turn her down! So we began running up the sidewalk towards her school when I heard a woman yell, Walk, please! Surely she couldnt be talking to me. I mean I am an adult, I thought. Then again I hear, Walk, please! I looked around and noticed that we were the only ones running. So sheepishly I slowed down to a walk. Who does she think she is telling me to walk? I am a tax-payer -- I pay her salary I thought to myself. As I was stewing I almost slipped on the black ice. Catching myself, regaining my balance, I now understood why she asked me to walk. You see she knew something I didnt know: she knew that the walkway was icy and dangerous. As I approached her she explained that she had almost fallen herself earlier that morning. Although a bit embarrassed, I thanked her now that I understood. She knew from experience what I neither knew, nor had experienced. So, I pass on the same wisdom and warning to you: as you prepare to go to college, Walk, please! Dont run, dont sprint, dont try and figure everything out in the first day or two. You see, I know from my own personal experience as well as from working with hundreds and hundreds of other freshmen that you need to walk through your Freshman Year. As irritating as it might be to hear me say it, I need to reiterate, Walk, please! W.A.L.K. through college W alk with Others A djust Slowly L ive and Learn Intentionally K eep Going, Dont Give Up Walk with Others No matter how independent you are you need to learn healthy dependence. Over the last few years, you have been spreading your wings and trying to prove to yourself, your family, and the world, that you can do it alone. You may have convinced yourself that you dont need anyone but you really do. You need others, and they need you. You will need to lean on your family in a new and different way. Youll need to know from those around you that what youre going through is normaland that you are not alone. We try so hard to prove that we dont need anything or anyone, but that was not how we were created. We were created to live in community, to rely on others, and allow others to rely on us. As you go through your Freshman year remember to Walk with Others. Adjust Slowly You are going to want everything to run smoothly and without a hitch. Unfortunately, thats not how things typically happen. Adjusting is hard to do, no matter how you slice it! As you were growing up, it was hard to adjust to a new home, a new neighborhood, and new friends. But you did adjust didnt you? Now that youre heading off to college, you have more huge adjustments ahead of you. Youre going to have to adjust to a new home - typically a relatively small room in your residence hall. Youll have to adjust to a new neighborhood - your residence hall and your college campus. Youll also have to adjust to new friends. Living with a stranger, in a strange place, with lots more strangers ... welcome to college! As a child, you adjusted by stepping out of your comfort zone and moving forward. Thats not much different than what you need to do now. Just keep in mind that it does take time to adjust. As you go through your Freshman year remember to allow yourself to Adjust Slowly. Live and Learn Intentionally Whether it be living in your residence hall or participating in your classes, do it with purpose. See every moment of every day as having meaning and a purpose. Youll be learning many new things from many amazing professors. Enjoy the process of being exposed to new ideas and new ways of seeing the world. But hold on to who you are. Maintain your core values and dont compromise those for anything or anyone. Outside of the classroom, youll find another classroom. This classroom has few walls, no white board, and no particular teacher. Outside of the classroom youll have the opportunity to apply and live out what you have been learning inside the classroom. Do it all with purpose. Enjoy yourself, and experiment. Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus says it well: Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy. Thats living life with purpose and intentionality! As you go through your Freshman year remember to allow yourself to Live and Learn Intentionally. Keep Going, Dont Give Up I can almost guarantee that there will be times when you are ready to give up. Chances are that you have experienced times like these already. No matter what, dont give up. When the going gets tough keep going! Remember, you dont have to (and shouldnt be) doing this alone. Learn to rely on others. You are surrounded by people on your campus who are ready and willing to help. Your RA and your RD are there for no other purpose than to help you through those hard times. Learn to talk with them and rely on them when you think you are ready to give up. Dont forget about your family either. They may be out of sight, but they should never be out of mind. As a parent I can personally promise you that just because you arent around everyday like you were for the last 18 years, this does not mean that you are out of their mind. Quite the contrary, you are likely thought about and prayed for more than you could imagine! So, when things do get difficult (not if, but when).keep going, but dont try to do it all alone. And please, when things get really tough and you are at a place where you are ready to give up, dont do it. Find someone who can help. As tough as things may seem, there is always a way to work through it. It may not be easy, but it is possible. As you go through your Freshman year remember to allow yourself to Keep Going, Dont Give Up.
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