My college asked alumni to post on the website, offering advice to the incoming freshmen of the class of 2028. Here’s what I wrote:
A warm welcome to the class of 2028!
As many others here have described, the beautiful College and surrounding area offers an incredibly rich array of experiences and resources. Please avail yourself fully!
And make a point of occasionally attending events and programs that are far outside your usual areas of interest. At the very least, you’ll have an interesting experience. And sometimes really magical connections happen.
And I would add … Please take very good care of your mental and emotional health. The College has a counseling center. Find out about it; get an overview of what’s available. You never know when you might need it, if not for yourself then for someone you know. The College’s mental-health services were a lifesaver for me, 40+ years ago.
College is incredibly mind-expanding. For many of us, it’s our first extended time away from home. That’s exhilarating, and it helps us learn and grow. But, as we come into contact with a dizzying array of new-to-us ideas, and encounter people from so many different worlds, it can sometimes also be a bit disorienting, and it’s natural to feel emotionally overwhelmed at times. The College offers many tools and resources to help you navigate these waters.
Even just knowing what your core values are, and reminding yourself of them from time to time, can help you maintain equilibrium. If you don’t yet know what your core values are, there are tools available to help you explore that.
Keep an eye on your friends and classmates; check in with each other. Cultivate your emotional intelligence along with your academic prowess.
One more piece of advice: When it comes to choosing a major and minor — or even just sampling a course outside your chosen path — please don’t shy away from the arts, humanities, and social sciences. They offer many viable paths to a livelihood. And furthermore, in order to create a sustainable society, we need the arts and humanities as much as we need science, engineering, business, and other disciplines. The wicked problems facing our world require all hands on deck.
(And by the way, “all hands on deck” includes ALL of us, no matter how long ago we graduated. No one gets to sit this out. We all have to work together, and we all get to work together.)
And back to you, New Freshman. Whatever your chosen field — and whatever your other skill areas and personality attributes — please know that you have great value to add to the world. You may hit a rough patch at times, but please don’t give up on yourself! You are unique, and there are gifts that only you can bring.
Enjoy your college life, new freshman of the class of 2028!