Dear Georgetown Freshman,
We all step onto campus at the beginning of our freshman year the same, excited, and at least slightly stressed out. Everything’s happening all at once, and the future seems bright, but you have no idea how you’re gonna get from point A to point, there. As daunting as finding your place on campus might seem, you shouldn’t worry about just yet, if ever.
For now, the most important thing you can do, is explore; and that counts for everything. It’s easy to start practicing the same patterns you had in high school. They’re familiar and comfortable, but freshman year, while your surrounded by so much for the first time, is the time to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Always loved English in high school? Take that creative writing class, but try out Computer Science too. Hang out with the people on your floor, but also ask the kid with the cool shoes, the one from Problem of God, to coffee sometime. You were the Mock Trial president? Join it, but check out Juggling Club too. It’s not always about totally recreating yourself, but little changes here and there might lead you to where you need to be.
Now for a slight contradiction; while you’re meeting these new people and especially joining new clubs, be careful not to follow into the classic Georgetown trap of overcommitment. Balance on the hilltop is a lesson that we all learn once, and then over and over again. There’s so much to try and do, and it seems like your classmates are each balancing all of it seamlessly. They’re not, they’re overwhelmed too. So try everything, yes, but don’t stay to pad some resume. Stay because you love it, or leave. Don’t feel bad if you have downtime throughout the day. You don’t need to be more productive just for productivity’s sake, and you deserve a moment a breathe. More than anything, remember that there’s no one way to be a Hoya. You can change your major twice, or twice a month. You don’t need to have found your people by a month into school. You never have to go to a basketball game if you don’t feel like it. You’re allowed to stay in and watch movies all weekend. Your GPA might not look how it did in high school and that’s okay. You don’t have to be president of three clubs by the second semester. You’re here to learn, in and outside the classroom, about the world and about yourself. Focus on that, and let everything else just fall into place how it will. Looking back, your Georgetown Story will be perfect, because it’s yours.
With Love,
Randall-Grace