Title: What I Would Tell Myself My First Year of College: Letters from Georgetown Seniors

This week, students in the Class of 2029 start their college journeys at Georgetown.

Over the next four years, they will hone their academic and professional interests, discover new passions and grow in every facet of their lives.

We asked three seniors to reflect on their time at Georgetown and write a letter to themselves as first-year students. Here’s what they wrote.

Just Say ‘Yes’

Dear Harnoor,

I think you would be happy to know that you haven’t changed all that much in these last three years. You still pack up your entire wardrobe and try to squeeze it into your small dorm room closet (you did have to give up on some of the shoes, though). You also still don’t exactly know what you want to do with your life, but I would say you’re getting closer (you aren’t really supposed to know, yet, anyway). 

As daunting as it may be to settle into a new city for the next four years, you’ll do a great job in making the Hilltop your home. You’ll surprise yourself with how many things you say ‘yes’ to (research, traveling, giving tours, even filming for Georgetown), and each will leave its mark. Some moments will challenge you, others will leave you grateful and most will teach you something you didn’t expect. And while you may not have all the answers yet, you’ll come to realize that not knowing is part of the excitement — the best parts of your Georgetown story are still ahead of you! 

Harnoor Sachar (SFS’26)
Major: Science, Technology and International Affairs

Prepare for Unimaginable Transformation

Dear Bennie,

As you step onto the Hilltop, you are embarking on a journey that will transform you in ways you can’t yet imagine. You will meet professors who push you beyond your comfort zone and friends who will teach you that fun and hard work are not mutually exclusive, but fuel for each other. You will leap into classes with nothing but faith. One moment you will be debating policy, the next collapsing in laughter. You might even start listening to country music (and like it!).

There will be rituals: splitting poles on the walk to M Street just to watch your friend groan and half-serious debates about whether dinner should be at Epis or Leo’s (objectively, Leo’s, although you are welcome to convince me otherwise). There will be phone calls that start with abundance theory and, somehow, end with wedding guest lists. There will be Thanksgivings away from home, where Labrador retrievers greet you like family, and bear hugs that say more than words ever could — of joy, care and trust.

There will be adventures: a pre-school-year house party, Capitol Hill mornings spent naming lawmakers over Dunkin’ iced coffee and city strolls from chocolate to fortune cookie factories. You will eat dinner by candlelight with the company of Moroccan cats, say yes to impromptu formal invitations, catch drumsticks at Fly By Midnight concerts and end nights under desert starlights, warmed by the jacuzzi’s hum and the pulse of heartfelt conversations.

The days may feel long, but the semesters will vanish before your eyes. One day, you will drape your convocation gown again. Until then, live in the moment — because no moment will repeat itself in quite the same way. Let the joy, the doubt, the awe wash over you, and let those memories carry you forward.

Best,
Bennie Chang (SFS’26)
Major: Regional Studies

Get Ready for the Unexpected

Dear Ninabella,

I kind of wish I were you. I do! I wish I had just met some other admitted students in Chicago before posting my profile on the Class of 2026 Instagram page. I might have written a slightly different bio, though. You don’t end up playing very much tennis. But you do start a pickleball club! You still love Taylor Swift (and she just announced a new album!) and chai lattes, but now you’ve tried a lot of different DC cafes, and you changed your major.

Yep, it’s the new one between the College and MSB that they just emailed you about last month. Are you relieved you were accepted? Sorry, you haven’t even applied yet. Spoiler alert! The business courses are definitely different, but you’ll like collaborating on group projects and dressing up for presentations.

Also, get this, they knocked down Henle Village. Crazy, right? I’m living in the new building this year. It’s absurd not knowing where I’ll be 12 months from now. Will I return closer to home in Illinois, hang around the capital — this time as an alum — or maybe I will share an apartment with some other current students in a place I can’t yet name? I’m sure you also have a lot of questions heading into the next four years on the Hilltop, so I’ll just leave you with this: it’s okay if they look different from how you think they will. I mean, did you ever think you’d intern at an embassy?

Love,
Ninabella Arlis (C’26, B’26)
Major: International Business, Language and Culture