By Michelle Lara

After a full four years, seniors have seen it all. Growing up is what college is all about, but maybe as a freshman it would’ve been helpful to know which Harvard Square restaurants are a complete rip-off and when is the best time to do laundry. We emailed a handful of graduating seniors asking them what advice they would give to their freshmen selves.

Some seniors wanted to encourage their younger selves to be open to new experiences:

“If I could go back in time, I would probably tell myself to try more things earlier, as well as to trust in myself and who I am!”

— Myles G. Marshall ’19

“I would tell my freshman self to invest in community because the people around you will be what makes your time at Harvard special. I would also say that that requires getting out of your room more (I watched a lot of Netflix that year haha) and putting yourself out there to find people who you connect with!”

— Julia E. Villasenor ’19

Other emphasized that they shouldn’t have stressed out as much and wanted to tell their freshmen selves that it would all work out eventually:

“After freshman year, it can be easy to feel like you need to be totally adjusted to college. But of course life will throw things you never imagined your way. In turn, you will change — and that's a good thing! Don't beat yourself up because you think you should have things figured out by now.”

— Melissa “Missy” Dreier ’19

“I would honestly tell my freshmen [sic] self to calm down and try to enjoy the moment as much as possible. I was (and still am) someone who did not take the “conventional” and "paved" road of life. The decision to take the “road less traveled” came with a lot of anxiety and doubts about whether I was going to be “successful.””

— Amma N. Ababio ’19

Some gave Harvard-specific advice:

“Take more walks/jogs along the river! It’s conducive for soul searching, hanging out, admiring the beauty of nature, etc.”

— Rebekah H. Chun ’19

While others gave more general advice:

“My friends supported me in every challenge I took on, struggled through problem sets with me late into the night, helped me to rise up through personal struggles, and celebrated with me after each success. I'm so grateful for these many wonderful people, and if I could do it all over again, I only wish that I'd met them sooner.”

— Sean Gibney ’19
“Learn the meaning of self-awareness.”

— Eric R. Wasserman ’19

As much as we may wish we could go back and inform our younger selves, some things just take a full college experience to figure out. Congratulations to the graduating seniors on everything that you have learned and accomplished since freshman year!