To whoever is reading this, whether you are a freshman or a super-senior, you are going to make it through. I know the road looks hard, and it is not the most enjoyable. I do not know what you are going through, but I promise you that someone else on this campus feels it too.

Maybe it’s the hardship of classes or the hardship of a loved one passing. Maybe it’s the suckiness of a breakup. Trust me. We have all been there. Or maybe it’s seeing all your friends out getting engaged or having fun with their significant other while you sit and watch sad romantic movies while eating ice cream. It’s happened to the best of us at one point or another. Maybe it’s contemplating your major for the millionth time. Trust me; I have been there too. You are not alone. 

But let me give you some advice. I’m only a sophomore here, but I have picked up a few things along the way. The pain you feel now from those hardships is not going to last forever. It can suck for a few days, a few weeks or a few months, but you learn to move on. Those moments do not define you. I am going to repeat that. Those moments do not define you. Your hardships are not who you are. It is your reaction to those hardships that define you. 

That professor who gave you a failing grade? Not a defining moment. That girl who said she did not like you? Not a defining moment. The job or internship you did not get? Not a defining moment. Do not give people the power to define who you are. You determine that. Choosing to do better in that class and not let it affect you, that is what defines you. Having the grit to do better is a defining characteristic. Telling yourself that you do not need others’ approval because you know your worth? Defining moment. Knowing that there are other jobs or internships out there that you will strive for? Defining moment. You choose, not others. 

So yeah, I’m sitting in my apartment writing over a bowl of ice cream after watching a sappy Netflix movie. And yes, I have had those failing grades. And yeah, I have wondered if I’ll ever find a job. But I’m not wondering if I was worth anything less because of those things. I know that the right doors will open when they need to at the end of the day. I hope you learn this too. And sure, I’m going to have people who say something about me or my writing or about the way I choose to hold my head high. But they do not define me. I do.

I know it’s hard, and I will not downplay the fact that comments or other people’s opinions hurt. They most certainly do. But they only cut as deep as we allow them to. So from me to you, college student, hold your head high and your dreams higher. Do not let anyone tell you who you can and cannot be. 

Sincerely, 

Just another college student