Advice to a College Freshman From One in the Know

So, you're going to college. Here's some things I wished I knew when I was a naïve little freshman. You didn't ask me for any advice, I know, but I'm your big sister, so you're gonna get a list anyway 

1. For the first couple of months, keep your door propped open whenever you're in your room. Seriously. People are going to be walking around a lot, so it's a great way to meet your hall mates and make great friends.

2. Don't be stupid, though. Lock your door when you're not in. People suck sometimes.

3. Don't get too involved in settling down the first couple of days. You can unpack later, it can wait. Run around campus, do all those stupid freshman welcome things, and get to know people. 

4. Do not be the person who burns something in the community microwave. You will forever be known as the dummy that set the fire alarm off at 2 am in the morning on a school day. You will get death threats. Especially don't be the person who sticks a wet baseball in the stove because you want it to be dry when you play catch. Just don't. 

5. Treat ratemyprofessor.com like the Bible when signing up for classes. It will save you a lot of heartache and sleepless nights. 

6. Have a couple rolls of your own toilet paper. You never know when it will become a rare commodity. 

7. Never get into the habit of just smiling and nodding when someone is talking to you. You may end up accidentally agreeing to a date and then have to ninja around campus for months to avoid him because you're too socially awkward to face him again....

8. High GPAs look great on paper, but sometimes it's more important to network and gain relevant experience. Get a job, volunteer, intern, do whatever it takes to gain some experience. Get to know your professors. You don't need to become best friends with all of them, but if you can get close to even a few, they can be great resources and possibly provide letters of recommendation for you in the future. 

9. Before classes start, walk around campus and find all of your class locations. You will avoid being that pathetic looking freshman frantically running around the hallways and barging into class 20 minutes late on the first day. 

10. Remember to have a social life. You're in college, have fun, do dumb stuff, just be safe about it. 

11. If you find you're having trouble staying awake in class, sit in the front. It's harder to doze off when the teacher is glaring at you or, worse, spits a lot. It's gross, but effective. 

Anyway, have fun! These next four years will be amazing for you, I'm sure. Keep in touch!

**