Hey, freshies! In your Freshmanual, we suggested that you schedule a letter to your future self—specifically, the senior version of you in four or five years. This is so that, when you’re a sentimental senior, you can reflect on how much college may have changed and challenged you. If you’re still struggling to find the right words, though, we have a few more prompts for you to consider when writing your letter! Remember that these are just our suggestions. Feel free to choose only the questions you’d like to answer, or to go in a different direction altogether.

Guide Prompts:

1. Talk about who you are now.

Let this part serve as a reminder of who you are today to your present self. This can include anything from your current interests or hobbies to even how you’re feeling as you write your letter! This will allow you to see how much you’ve changed in the time between writing the letter and the time when you will receive this.

2. Mention the relationships you have in the present.

Relationships are an important part of our lives, so make sure you get to talk about the people you hold dear! Talk about your closest friends, love interests, and family; in the future, you can look back on these names and reminisce.

3. Manifest what goals you currently have for yourself.

Note down what you want to accomplish by the time you’re a senior. List all the goals, dreams, and accomplishments that you’d want to achieve by the time you’re graduating, as these serve as motivating factors in your life. Are there any organizations you want to join? Do you want to be a Dean’s Lister? Ask your future self if they’ve achieved it.

4. Divulge what is important to you at this moment.

Open up about your priorities in life, especially with the things or commitments that you hold most dear to your heart. What we deem as important things in our lives may change throughout the course of time, so it may be helpful to reflect on these today.

5. Acknowledge what you’d like to change in your life.

Are there fears you hope to move past from? Insecurities you hope to overcome? Let your future self know. This can also serve as a way of learning how to do better for yourself in the future!

6. Ask yourself what lessons have you learned in life.

Ask yourself what lessons you have learned throughout your years in college. Reflecting back on these key lessons may help us strive to do better, as well as to look back on what (or who) helped us learn these valuable lessons in our life.

7. Reflect whether or not you’re living true to yourself.

Always make it a point to be true to yourself no matter how much time may change you. It’s important to make sure that you’re living true to who you are, as that would be the closest thing to living your best life.

8. Answer the question, “What is the one thing I’d like my senior self to remember?”

If there is a key reminder you’d want to tell yourself, what would it be? Whether it be a lesson or personal matter, it’s important to remember something you’d like to tell yourself–especially if it comes deep from the heart. You never know–maybe your future self will thank you for the reminder.

Steps on how to send it:

1. Go to futureme.org
2. Type out your letter!
3. Set the date to August 28, 2024/2025 (This should mark three/four years since OrSem: Tuloy!)
4. Input your email address below.
5. Send your letter to the future!

Looking back at who you were, especially in trying times like these, can help you grow and evolve to become the best version of yourself. It can help you relive the good times in your life, as well as help align your short-term tasks to your long-term goals. Although the future is unpredictable, it’s always best to live in the now and to make the most out of what we have today. So throughout your college stay, may you constantly strive to achieve the best version of yourself. For now, we welcome you to the Ateneo! From all of us at Vantage, we hope that your four or five years in college will be a wonderful and life-changing experience.