Dear Madison,

I still remember my first week in the dorms, wandering aimlessly in Target, wondering how much is too much to pay for toilet paper. And I really wish I had had somebody by my side to tell me it would be okay and that my best judgement was good enough.

As you know, I have spent my whole life trying to be that person for you.

But I’m going to let you in on the world’s best kept secret: you don’t need a guide at all. The best things you learn in college, you will learn by accident. You will buy too much milk. You will forget how to make rice. You will go to the wrong classroom. You will stay out too late. You will exercise less than you planned.

And you’ll be better for it.

But when it comes to a new journey, ignorance is less likely to be bliss and more likely to be misery. So, with that in mind, I leave you this guide. It is imperfect and incomplete, but I hope it will help.

Learn from my mistakes, please. But never forget to make a few of your own.

Finally, as you embark on your next adventure, I want you to remember a few things:

You are smart.

You are kind.

You will succeed.

You are always stronger than you think.

I will always be here for you.

Love, your sister