Before Graduation: Write to Yourself a Few Years Out
The last days of school are packed with ceremony: the thesis defense, the class photo, the farewell dinner, the empty dorm room. Then the noise fades, and it hits you — some things never got said, and some feelings will be gone if you don't write them down now. Every June, graduates come here to write: to themselves three years out, asking whether the job turned out anything like the dream; to the roommates they lived with for four years, with a pact to open the letters together in five; or simply to seal up "how it feels to stand at the school gate right now" and mail it to their thirty-year-old self. Letters written at graduation have a rare kind of honesty — life hasn't taught you to hedge yet, so you say what you mean. Below are letters graduates chose to share. If you're counting down your last days on campus, don't just take photos. Spend twenty minutes writing this summer down; the future you will be glad you did.
Ideas to get you started
- Record a few specific "last times": the last lecture, the last cafeteria meal, the last late-night talk before lights-out. Details hold their value better than feelings do.
- Write down where you're headed and what worries you: which offer you signed, which city, what keeps you up at night. Years later, this is the part you'll compare notes with.
- Write one to a roommate or classmate too — add their email or phone number and pick a date to open them together.
- Ask your future self the hard ones: are you still in touch with these people? Any regrets about the path you picked?
Real letters from the vault
250 public letters
Photo letter
毕业
我有和阿雅拉古搞了吗？我对她表白了吗？毕业的时候有人对我表白吗？应该不会吧!
btzrggg
Jul 2, 2025 · Traveled 6 days
写给毕业后的你
今天是实习的倒数第一天的凌晨一点，没错，我开始焦虑了，有点睡不着。 我不知道未来会发生什么事，现在的我怀着跟当年要去学校住宿同等心情，焦虑，害怕，不安。 我每次都会在故事的新篇章开启前焦虑，希望如今有目标的我，会更加努力克服困难。 未来的我，你收到信的那天是你实习即将结束的日子，更是你迈开腿走向成年
2936780554
Sep 4, 2025 · Traveled 9 months 18 days
山海阔达，有缘再见
万语难尽涩于口，祈尔繁芜胜常春。原谅我的怯懦，直到今天我仍然不敢亲口对你诉说这份藏于心中2000多天的爱恋，情不知所起，一往而深，感谢我的18岁有你，和你的祝福，也行这封信你永远无法看到，但是那又如何呢。我喜欢你，仅我可见。这是独属于我的喜欢。或许我们在学校的最后一次会议是将我最后一次见你，一如当年
Jucheng
Sep 5, 2025 · Traveled 1 day
对你
祝你开学快乐，这是一个新的开始，也希望是我们新的开始😌
klh565213
Sep 5, 2025 · Traveled 1 day
你一定会点开的一封信
姜悦你好，展信佳。现在是25年9月6日上午10.51分，我刚吃完自己买的低脂蔬菜小笼包（口味一般般）。我收到你24年11月寄来的信，说实话，确实过去了一段时间，我竟真的记不住当初写下的文字，所以我阅读文字时带给我惊喜连连！咳咳，那我现在也要回复你当年留下的疑问。如下：1.我最终还是没有谈上校园恋爱，
姜姜1
Sep 6, 2025 · Traveled 6 months 4 days
致我最好的朋友
施静雯 当你收到这封信时，我们的高三生活也完结了。很高兴能在高中遇见你，三年很长也很短，高一到现在，我们也经历了各种各样的事。有欢乐，也有矛盾。毕业之后，也不知道会不会有再见面的机会。想说的有很多，但删删改改，又不知道说什么了。不论如何，祝你前程似锦，考上自己心仪的大学，拥有美好的生活与未来。也不知
960889241
Oct 28, 2025 · Traveled 8 months 3 days
给工作半年后的罗洋
你好，2025-12-08的今天是罗洋工作的底5个月了。 还记得找工作的大四吗？一晃而过。似乎什么考研，毕设，招聘会是什么东西都还没有搞清楚一一切都结束了。 你还是容易想起很多过去的事情，不知道这个到底算是什么特质。 我想记录下几个阶段：当你发现始于都已经有工作落实了，你还在学习英语和在咸鱼上接几个
罗洋
Dec 8, 2025 · Traveled 1 day
蓓蕾
今天是6.13，你的生日，祝你生日快乐。47到底是什么意思？我想了很久都没想到，会是什么呢？这学生时代的最后一个生日，祝你生日快乐，毕业照的时候会带上我做的学士帽吗？那样的话，会不会也算我参与到了最后一刻。谢谢你，曾点亮了我生活里面的光。真是的，新年信看到了居然都不回复我一下，就算是彻底拒绝我一下也
rayzhang
Jan 1, 2026 · Traveled 5 months 12 days
Photo letter
To yqy
见字如晤展信舒颜不知道你能不能准时看到这封信，但当你收到这封信的时候，也意味着我们的初中已经毕业一年了。我先讲一下我为什么打算写这个信吧，首先就是受到电影《给阿嬷的情书》的影响还有就是忽然收到了去年写给自己的信，然后就有感而发。不知不觉我们已经上了将近一年的高中生活。以前呢，总感觉过得很慢很慢，可是
Y同学
May 31, 2026 · Traveled 20 days
给星宇
Hi 星宇 我是was 毕业快乐星宇！很高兴在这四年里和你相遇，很开心能和你成为好朋友。这几天我的感触很深，特别是和李晶吃饭的时候。我总感觉和他没什么话题可聊，我想起了刚开始的你。那个时候记得好像你有说过感觉融入不进来，后面发现完全可以和你聊各种各样的事情，谢谢你愿意为了我们了解各种各样的事情。我本
liiove_7
Jun 12, 2026 · Traveled 1 day
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I write to myself or to my classmates?
Either — or both. Writing to yourself is the classic; for classmates, just add their email or phone number. Whole dorm rooms often write together at the farewell dinner and agree to open everything on the same day in five years.
How far out should I send it?
Three to five years is the sweet spot — long enough for life to change, short enough that the bond still holds. Some send theirs to a reunion date ten years away.
What if my email changes in a few years?
Every letter has a 6-digit claim code that works no matter what — and on delivery day the system sends both an email and a text, so you're covered twice over.
Before Graduation: Write to Yourself a Few Years Out
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