Freshmen: Some Friendly Advice

As a member of the new freshmen class, you are treading the path of many before you, but it's hard to tell which way to go.

Last year, I was an off-campus freshmen, meaning much of what most freshmen learn together, I learned by myself. I lacked guidance that would have saved me from many a mishap and misadventure.

So, I share with you the wisdom of a now-sophomore and am allowing you to step in my fresh footprints along the way, if only to save your shoes from dirt one day more.

Here we go.

Try new extracurriculars, hobbies -- anything. Whether you fail or succeed, this is really about the experiences and especially about the people. Always meet new people. Don't get caught up in one group.

Get to know your professors . They're great people who will complete your Augie experience. And sometimes you can glean a little favoritism out of them.

Overachievers, it's impossible to get all of your homework done on time. Prioritize or become overwhelmed.

As much as we all try to avoid them, overnighters will become a necessity at some point in time. Become acquainted with them, befriend them, utilize them.

That being said, learn to say no. You can't do everything for everyone. There are seniors who ignore the ulcers in their stomach because they still can't find it in their heart to decline.

Time-management is key. You can actually do a lot more than you would ever originally think, as long as you pencil it in. Buckle down and party it up fluidly in the same night.

The one new experience I would avoid at all costs would be passing out naked on the bathroom floor in a pool of your own vomit. That is unless you really want that reputation, then great for you.

Don't trust the bathrooms. Ever. I always enter cautiously, but with a surprisingly desensitized attitude. I suggest adopting this demeanor.

Experiment while you're still a freshman. Everyone was a freshman once and will blame your lapse of judgment on your age. It's a blessing in disguise.

However, if you want someone to take you seriously, don't give up the goody-goods too quickly, ladies. That's especially true now that you're in college.Respect is fleeting when you're too easy.

The commons breakfast is an inexplicably wonderful delicacy for those hangover mornings. If you can get up before 10 a.m., it's completely worth exercising the super-human strength it takes to move.

Or, if you would prefer to skip the pain, go for Taco Bell before the start of the night. Refrigerate. Warm in microwave after intoxicated. Enjoy.

When you're starting to feel a little guilty about that Taco Bell, make time for a work-out at the Elmen. Believe me; unless you're the uncannily skinny type with genetics on your side, the Freshman Fifteen is a very real occurrence.

These pieces of advice hold their own levels of importance. Some will be quick to learn, others not so much. But the most obligatory rule to go by is just to open your mind. In four years, you will graduate having tried things you never would have imagined you'd do.