Dear freshman Hali, welcome to college.

@haliijama

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SoundTikTok sound · original sound - haliijama

Promoted product

Graduate Madison

Why it worked

The video uses a deeply personal, nostalgic narrative to build emotional resonance, making the product feel like an essential, comforting part of the creator's growth rather than a commercial entity.

Summary

The creator reflects on her freshman college experience and the challenges of being a first-generation student. She highlights Graduate Madison as a comforting "home base" that helped her navigate her time at university.

Structure

1Reflecting on freshman year fears
2Acknowledging the loneliness of being the first
3Finding wisdom and a home base
4Showcasing Graduate Madison as a sanctuary
5Encouraging words for the future

Product placement

Graduate Madison: (a) ACTS — the creator explicitly identifies it as a "quiet place to decompress" and "home base" in the city, and shows herself using the hotel's lobby, room, and common areas. Removing it would change the video's core message about finding a home away from home. Hilton: (b) APPEARS — mentioned in the hashtag #hiltonpartner, which is a disclosure of the brand partnership. Removing it would not change the video's content.

Original caption

A letter to my freshman self. This is what I wish someone had told me. Filmed at Graduate Madison, steps from where it all began #WeAreAllStudents #GraduateHotels #hiltonpartner

More from @haliijama

On-screen text

Dear freshman Hali welcome to college. I know you're scared. You packed everything you own into bags, and you walked onto a campus where everyone around you seemed to already know the rules, and you did not. Nobody in your family had done this before. I wish someone had told you that the loneliness that you felt in those first few weeks was not a sign that you did not belong; it was just the cost of being the first. You see over the few years, I've gained some wisdom, and I've learned the value of having a quiet place to decompress, a beautiful place to meet with friends, somewhere that actually felt like home base in a city that was still becoming mine. Places like Graduate Madison right in the heart of campus, where you can breathe, retreat, and actually sit with how far you've come. I wish someone had told you that this would become home, that the lake would become yours, that the campus that felt so foreign in August would feel like the place that made you in May. The library, your favorite sandwich shop, and even the dorm you lived in for nine months. My point is, you're going to figure it out; you always do. So come back when you can. Graduate will be here. With love, from a version of you who made it.

Transcript

Dear freshman Hali, welcome to college. I know you're scared. You packed everything you own into bags, and you walked onto a campus where everyone around you seemed to already know the rules, and you did not. Nobody in your family had done this before. I wish someone had told you that the loneliness that you felt in those first few weeks was not a sign that you did not belong; it was just the cost of being the first. You see over the few years, I've gained some wisdom, and I've learned the value of having a quiet place to decompress, a beautiful place to meet with friends, somewhere that actually felt like home base in a city that was still becoming mine. Places like Graduate Madison right in the heart of campus, where you can breathe, retreat, and actually sit with how far you've come. I wish someone had told you that this would become home, that the lake would become yours, that the campus that felt so foreign in August would feel like the place that made you in May. The library, your favorite sandwich shop, and even the dorm you lived in for nine months. My point is, you're going to figure it out; you always do. So come back when you can. Graduate will be here. With love, from a version of you who made it.