Welcome back to campus! Whether you're a freshman just getting started or a senior looking back, we think you'll find some wisdom in the letters that class of 2022 seniors on the WIN e-board wrote to their freshmen selves while reflecting on their time at BC.
Annette Matyszczyk, President
Dear Freshman Year Annette,
Congratulations on making it to BC!! I remember when you first visited campus on Admitted Students Day and made your decision to come to BC while sitting with your parents at Mac - well you made the right choice! Over the next couple of years you will meet the most incredible people, have fun, learn a TON (and not only in your classes), and grow so much as an individual. With that being said, I wanted to share some valuable lessons I’ve learned over the past three years. You will of course learn more than just these eight lessons but hey, that’s for me to know and you to find out :)
Become comfortable with being uncomfortable. While it’s such a cliche and everyone says this to freshmen, you’ll realize that it really is important! Try new things and tag along to what other friends are doing, even if it’s outside of your comfort zone. Being uncomfortable makes you challenge yourself, whether it’s speaking up in an intimidating class or signing up for a club without knowing anyone else. When you challenge yourself you are given an opportunity to develop new skills and accomplish something you didn’t know you could do. Believe me, you’re capable of more than you think.
Hang out with your roommate. Yes, you went random and ended up living with a girl from Wisconsin who is studying totally different things and just in general seems very different from you. But you two will get along so well and build such an incredible friendship that you will end up living together for all four years of college. You’ll make a million inside jokes and she’ll be there for you through thick and thin, just as you will be for her. She will make you a better person and have such a positive impact on your life that by senior year, you will have literally no clue what you would’ve done without her.
Go to Mac late night! It may not be the healthiest advice to be telling you since the mozzarella sticks and chicken fingers are too good to pass up on, but some of the most valuable conversations you will have at BC will happen in that dining hall after 10pm. Besides, you might get to meet some people who otherwise might have never been part of your life.
Learn to focus. The most important heads up I got before coming to college was that there will always be a lot of distractions. On the one hand, that’s great! There’s always so much to do around campus that you’ll have a million opportunities to try new things and meet new people. On the other hand, if you don’t learn to manage your time you might drop the ball on some of your academic and extracurricular activities. It’s fun to always be doing things, but also make sure to create time and space for you to rest.
Warning: a pandemic is coming. Make the most of your time on campus when you’re surrounded by your friends and peers, because one day you might be told to move out of your sophomore dorm early. Things will change and change can be extremely difficult, but you will adapt and learn a ton from this experience. And as always, you will have your friends and family to lean on for support.
Don’t get so stressed out by recruiting. Props to you for networking and going to information sessions and hustling at the student involvement fair. But recruiting is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t doubt yourself while going through the process because I guarantee you that you will put the work in and it will work out. You will have an incredible support system when the going gets tough - use it. When you’re done recruiting and (finally) land the internship (and job!) of your dreams, pass along the advice you were given and become a support system for others.
You won’t get it right all the time. While you will most definitely make some mistakes, these mistakes are opportunities for you to learn and grow. You will get better at not taking things too personally, it’ll just take some practice! The important thing to keep in mind is to keep moving forward. Do your best to learn from the past and live in the present because the present is often more wonderful than you even realize.
Freshman year matters. There are people here you haven’t yet met, but they will bring a type of joy to your life that you’ve never experienced before - you will meet a lot of them freshman year. The kids from your Portico class and the girls in your dorm will become your future best friends. The clubs you join as a Freshman will define your BC experience. The professors and classes you take will set you on a path to learn so much about topics you didn’t even know you were interested in. There is so much in store for you and I don’t want to spoil it all, but just know that I am SO excited for you.
With having only one year left of BC, I want to thank you for all that you’ve done for yourself over the past three years. I am so incredibly grateful for all the joy you’ve brought to my life. While a small part of me is jealous that you still have so much time at BC, I am mostly excited for senior year and my life after graduation. You’ve done so much to get me to where I am today, and I promise to keep doing my best and make you proud.
Love always,
Annette
Sophia Pacific, Vice President
Hellooooo Sophia,
Look at you! You’re in college! I know you’re so overwhelmed by your classes, social life, clubs, and the thousands of other things offered at BC, but I’m here to tell you that you will have four of the best, explorative, and reflective years of your life and it will all be so worth it.
Be proud of yourself, getting into BC is hard. Don’t be intimidated by the people in your classes or your professors because at the end of the day, everyone you’ll meet here will shape you in ways unimaginable.
Speaking of the people here at BC, be prepared to meet some of the most amazing, caring, intelligent, and passionate people you’ll ever meet. I know the social scene in college seems so daunting, but you will end up with some of the best friends you will ever have. Stepping out of your comfort zone is the hardest part, but it will be the best decision you’ll make.
Finally, don’t be so hard on yourself. College is all about exploration, so take this time to really learn about yourself outside the bubble you were in in high school & at home. You will quickly realize that you’re even stronger, smarter, and more capable than you thought.
Just to recap:
Stop betting against yourself; you never know you can do something until you try it.
Everyone is on a different journey and they are never linear. You are on your own path that should never be confined to what you think you should be doing in comparison to others.
Put yourself out there! This campus is huge and full of amazing people, meet them.
Eat the Ratt mac n cheese, but not too much. Some people (you) will develop lactose intolerance later in life.
For the love of God, breathe. Everything will be fine.
Enjoy these next four years because they seriously go by faster than you’ll know. GO EAGS!!!!!!
Xo,
Sophia
Cara Condodina, Director of Speakers
Dear Freshman Cara,
Welcome to BC! You’re probably feeling excited, nervous, and a little bit homesick right now. My best advice to you would be to just breathe. What you’ll find over the next few years is that usually the best things happen when you simply let them. Let go of the need to control everything, lean into the discomfort, and let it be.
One thing I can tell you for sure is that during your time at BC you’ll be pushed out of your comfort zone. And the thing about getting out of your comfort zone is that it sounds awesome in theory until you actually do it and realize it’s really hard. So yeah, it will be really hard. You will be really challenged, and sometimes it won’t feel so fun. But I think that you’re worthy and enough and that you shouldn’t give up! And because I know the ending, I can also tell you that it’s worth it, because everything turns out to be pretty great.
If I could go back and do it over, I think I would take more time to soak in the little moments. When the semester gets busy it’s easy to rush through the motions, constantly moving from class to the library to the dining hall to your room without really thinking about any of it. But the thing is, it’s the in-between moments that end up meaning the most. Slow down and take the time to sit down with your roommates before heading out to class, to stop and chat with the friend you’re passing in the hallway, to find a friendly face in the dining hall to eat lunch with, to bring a friend along on a walk or to a workout class, to look up when walking in between classes instead of looking down at your phone so you can enjoy everyone around you! I’ve learned that time moves fast, but it moves even faster when you forget to pay attention to the little moments. Don’t forget to love the little things, the small moments, the in-betweens.
Accept this phase as a period of change and discovery and growth, love yourself through the process of not having it all exactly figured out, embrace it for what it is. And remember that sometimes you just need to laugh at yourself - it’s not really as serious as it seems. You got this!
XOXO, Senior Cara <3
Amanda Zhao, Director of Growth and Analytics
Dearest Amanda,
Welcome to your home for the next 4 years! I remember how weary you felt stepping onto campus, knowing you’d need to carve out a new space for yourself on the other side of the world. I know it doesn’t look like an easy feat and I won’t pretend that it is. But know that you’re not alone! Everyone feels down (yes, including your hallmate who seems to be having the time of her life) and that’s ok, because it gets a lot better. Listen to yourself and follow what you naturally gravitate towards—the things your body needs, the people you want to be around, the projects you want to spend your time on.
Stay open-minded. Everything is different, but everything is new. There are undiscovered wonders waiting for you to find in the places you least expect.
It’s easy to imagine the things that could go wrong, but hold onto the thought of those serendipitous moments you can’t even begin to envision.
Trust that things will fall into place for you. Trust that the energy you radiate will come back to you in the form of new friends and opportunities. And most importantly, trust that you and your truest self are enough.
Much love,
Amanda
P.S. Go do work in the library. Don’t pretend like you get things done with Erin in Kostka.
P.P.S. If you want to go vegetarian, don’t forget to eat enough protein. Your hair can and will fall out.
Alison Breen, Director of Career Development
Dear Freshman Year Alison,
Freshman year is going to be rough. Like transfer-level rough. That being said, you have no idea how fulfilled you will become at BC over the next four years. The amount of memories, stories, and friendships you have created over the years is endless. That being said, I wanted to let you know the biggest pieces of advice I wish I knew when I stepped onto campus in 2018.
Be selfish. I know that sounds so shallow, but listen. College is an investment in yourself, and any moment you spend not putting yourself and your own needs first is a waste of your time. So take the classes that you want to, go out with who you want to, live with who you want to, and join all of the clubs that you want to. You’ll be grateful that you did.
Invest in your friendships. Everyone at BC is so complex in their own ways, and when you leave college you’re going to take these friendships with you. I also always say to invest your time and energy with your bridesmaids, and the groom will come later.
Don’t listen to your imposter syndrome. I remember sitting in the first class of Business Analytics and thinking “I don’t belong here”. Cut to four years later, you’ll learn to own all of your accomplishments and feel worthy of your own spot at this school.
Sign up for everything. You’re going to face a lot of rejection, but at the same time it will guide you towards what you are truly passionate about.
Make the most of everything. You never know, hypothetically speaking, a global pandemic could cut your sophomore year short. Appreciate and soak in every moment at BC, and take the time to be grateful for these moments.
Lots of love,
Senior Year Alison
P.S. break up with your high school boyfriend - he’s not it sis <3
To sum it up: make the most of every moment at BC, and go Eagles!!
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