Dear Mia Myers,

Congratulations on making it to your first year of college! I know you have worked hard
to get to this point in your amateur career, but I want to encourage you to buckle down in your
time here at UTC and really strive to find your purpose in life. The great thing about UTC’s
College of Business is that the staff members in the Decosimo Success Center are truly there to
help freshmen like you, who don’t know what they want to do with their lives quite yet. Be sure
to take advantage of them and all of the events that the college puts on (you will particularly
enjoy events that revolve around resume reviewing or meeting with people from various
companies). A lot of thought and planning goes into these events, and a lot of colleges don’t put
this much effort into their students, so be sure to go to these events and reap the benefits--it
wouldn’t be bad to make a couple of connections along the way, too.
I also want to encourage you to branch out during your time in college, in both
academics and in your personal life. The people that you see in your intro classes will probably
also be in your upper level classes later, so be sure to reach out and make friends with the kids
that sit around you or live around you. They can prove to be a big help with homework or with
de-stressing around test time. Also, be sure to make connections with your professors.
Professors are often more than willing to help you if you come to their office hours and ask for it.
That goes for your department head and administrative staff of the college. Everyone at the
college of business, in my experience, has been friendly and helpful when I have needed them.
Academic advising will be a big help to you. As a first year student, you will be exposed
to many different majors and prospects for you to peruse. Once you find the one that seems like
the best idea for you, don’t be afraid to change your major and spend a semester in classes
geared toward it. The best part of college is the infinite possibilities that you can explore. You
will meet many professionals throughout your time here, and each of them will speak on their,
often winding, journeys to the positions they are in now. Take that as advice: it’s okay to take
your time and explore whatever routes you find interesting. College is the time for people to
experiment with different ideas and different futures, so don’t be afraid to venture a couple of
possibilities.
Have I given you some insight into what your future might look like? I wrote this letter in
the hopes you take my advice to heart or at least into consideration. It’ll help you in the long run.
I believe in you. You have a great future ahead of you; don’t be afraid of it.

Best,
Mia Myers