As a senior, I have learned a lot about myself and the world around me during my four years at Moravian. The period of growth between freshmen and senior year is monumental. I came to school at seventeen, now I am twenty-one and this year I feel so much more free. Change can be scary and uncomfortable for a lot of people; I know it was for me. To assist everyone during this period of change, I have written each year a letter to hopefully boost your confidence, as well as to share some of my own experiences transitioning from freshman, sophomore, junior, and now senior year. Good luck, and I hope these words can offer you some help or solace.
Dear Freshmen,
I first want to welcome you to Moravian University! I am so happy to have new faces and perspectives joining our Greyhound family. For some of you, this may be the farthest you’ve been from home, for others you may have grown up down the street. This may be the first time you are sharing a bedroom and living with someone whose routine differs from what you’re used to. Freshman year is a transitional period for everyone, a time for new experiences and self-discovery.
My advice to any freshman is to get involved on campus. It may sound cheesy but it is one of the best ways to meet like-minded individuals. If you feel anxious about joining a club, rushing for Greek life, or being on a team, just remember that you are not alone. Remind yourself that every day is an opportunity to grow, meet new people, and develop relationships with those around you.
Another piece of advice is to take breaks. Taking breaks allows your mind to relax after hours of classwork. Whether you think so or not, the time spent taking breaks from studying or doing homework lets your mind absorb the information you have spent so much time staring at. Taking breaks is crucial in avoiding burnout. Luckily for you, the university you have chosen is located in one of the best areas for taking breaks. Bethlehem is such a remarkable area, full of places to ease your mind and forget anything that may be causing you distress. Personally, I love a good iced latte so I was ecstatic when in my freshman year, I found two amazing coffee shops within walking distance from campus, The Joint and Bitty & Beau’s Coffee. An added bonus of leaving campus and grabbing a cup of coffee is that these two businesses offer discounts to all Moravian students!
To wrap things up, I hope you have a spectacular first year, because you only get one. Lounge on the hammocks while the weather is nice, be first in line for Stuff-A-Plush, and enjoy Chicken Finger Fridays.
Dear Sophomores,
Congratulations, one year under your belt! You are moving out of the freshmen dorms and into one of the many housing options Moravian has to offer. Maybe you are living in an apartment for the first time. Hopefully, you are starting to feel more comfortable as you have settled into your life at Moravian. You’ve made friends, taken your first college classes, joined clubs, and maybe even got an on-campus job!
Sophomore year can be so exciting, and my advice to all of you sophomores is to take advantage of the time you have at Moravian. You are a quarter of the way done with college! While that can be an intimidating thought, I promise you that there is still so much for you to discover about yourself, your interests, and the people around you. At this point, you may have switched your major or just declared. As a sophomore, a professor told me to remember that my major does not define me. Don’t allow yourself to feel stuck in a certain sector of life just because of the degree you are pursuing. You, and only you, can decide who you want to be in life, and college is a fantastic place to learn more about yourself. This piece of advice goes for any year, but I want to say this specifically to the Class of 2027. Use your voice. Share your opinions. I know as a freshman, speaking up in class or during club meetings can seem daunting. At the end of the day, I cannot force you to raise your hand more in class or share your thoughts, but remember that your voice matters and people do care about what you have to say.
Dear Juniors,
Finally, you are officially upperclassmen! How does it feel? Junior year always gets such a bad reputation as being one of the more stressful times in a student’s academic career. In high school, this was the year that you were applying to colleges, ensuring that your GPA was what your dream school required. Things are different now. Junior year is different for everybody. For me, it was the year I studied abroad in Jamaica and had my first internship. Take advantage of the ELEVATE program offered to you.
Whether you go abroad for ten days or a whole semester, allow yourself the chance to explore the world around you. Step out of your comfort zone and spread your wings. I feel that there is no better time than junior year to apply for internships. Having an internship can benefit you in so many ways, it may help you learn what you like and dislike about your field of study. You will learn new skills that will assist you post-graduation when you are applying for jobs. Internships not only look great on resumes, but they also allow you to gain experience in the field that you have spent two years studying. There is an abundance of Moravian-affiliated businesses that you can choose from to intern with.
Additionally, you can get course credit for having an internship if you enroll in the various internship courses offered. As a Communications major, I took my internship course with Professor Harris, where I learned how to present myself in interviews, meetings, and business dinners. Every major has their own respective internship courses so be sure to talk with your advisor to ensure you are in the right class for your major. My hope for all juniors is that you thrive and come into your own this year. Be unapologetically you. You know what they say, the third time’s the charm, so make your third year at Moravian one to remember.
Dear Seniors,
Hi, speaking as a senior I know that a lot has probably changed for you since the first day of classes three years ago. Some of you may be on an executive board for a club, or President of a Greek life chapter. No matter where you stand, everyone in the Class of 2025 can say that this is their last first week of school as an undergraduate student. Whether you choose to continue your education or not, I want you all to recognize the hard work, long nights, and perseverance it took to get you here. If there were any doubts academically that you could be where you are today, I hope they have all subsided.
Look around you, so much has changed. The HUB certainly does not look the way it did on move-in day in 2021. Bernhardt-Wilhelm has central air, a luxury a lot of us did not get our freshmen year. Over the past three years, whether you realize it or not, you have changed as a person. You are becoming more and more like the person you are meant to be. You have learned so much from your professors and the experiences you’ve had on this campus.
It is bittersweet that our time being enrolled at Moravian will come to an end in May, but do not let that thought stop you from making the most out of your last year. This is the year to do all of the things you may have been too scared to do when you were a freshman, sophomore, or junior. As I said to the juniors, STUDY ABROAD! I will be the first to tell you that the weeks leading up to my trip abroad were filled with anticipation, worry, and stress. The unknown of being in a country I had never been to before, surrounded by people I barely knew, terrified me. But by the time the trip was over, I had grown so close with my peers and would not have given up that experience for anything. That is what I want for all of you seniors this year. You entered Moravian in 2021, unsure of what life would look like. Now, you are coming out the other side more knowledgeable, experienced, and sure of yourself than you could have possibly imagined. Good luck, and I look forward to this last year with you all.
