College can be the best of times and the most stressful of times. To help cope with both times and to maximize the experience, here are ten phrases I have learned to live by while here.

1. Kill ‘em with kindness.

The world can be a nasty place and people aren’t always nice. As long as you’re sweet and have kind words for everyone, no one can every say you’re rude or a b**ch.

2. Pace yourself.

I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about, and I don’t mean pace yourself to finish a race or a marathon. In all seriousness, pace yourself on your partying binges. Besides wanting to be safe and not wind up in any dangerous or precarious situations, “over indulging” on alcohol will certainly ruin the next day. It just isn’t worth it to overdo it for one night and then find yourself bowing to the porcelain bowl with your friend holding your hair back. Be smart: have fun and pace yourself.

3. Don’t wait until last minute.

Why put off till tomorrow what you can do today! You will undoubtedly regret waiting until the night before a paper is due to start it when you’ve had the assignment for two weeks. You will regret having to outline 100 pages the night before a test when you could have done 10 pages a night in order to prepare. Procrastination is a bad habit. If a project seems overwhelming, break it down into parts and do a little at a time.

Newton’s First Law says, “an object that is at rest will stay at rest unless an unbalanced force acts upon it.” Don’t be the object at rest! And let’s be honest, all that a late-night cram session gets you is a tired cranky self and most likely a bad grade.

4. Reach out to new people.

Contrary to social media, where you think everyone has a perfect friend group, they don’t. Your school likely has somewhere between 10,000-30,000 students. This means there are amazing kids you don’t know! Turn around in your classes, make a new friend, set up a dinner, schedule a study date, or sit down with someone new in the dining hall. Expand your horizons. A friend is a friend no matter where or how you met them.

5. Keep in touch.

Your family wants to know how you’re doing at school, so send them a text, make a phone call, or hop on a FaceTime every now and then. I don’t just mean to your parents: call your brother, call your sister, FaceTime your grandparents, they will all be thrilled! And of course, don’t lose touch with your home friends - keep that group chat going!

6. No late night snacking.

I know this one seems obvious, but it really is inevitable. You may have all good intentions as the day goes on, but sometimes you just can’t avoid the trap. Don’t just think that by eating right and working out all during the day gives you a free pass to a late-night Dominoes or Insomnia call or a visit to The Junction. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, good comes from one a.m. binge eating other than a regretful self the next morning and another step towards the Freshman 15. If you feel like you must have a late snack, grab a handful of pretzels, and hit the sac!

7. Take your vitamins and get vaccinated!

Living in a shoebox of a dorm creates and perpetuates sicknesses, no doubt about it. Keep on top of all your daily vitamins, drink Emergen-C like it’s coffee, and most definitely make sure all your vaccinations are up to date, as well as your annual Flu shot. Germs are rampant and getting sick outside the comfort of your home just sucks. And if you’re a student at Syracuse, go for that third (non-required) dose of the Mumps vaccination, or you might be the next one to come down with this disease!

8. Get involved.

I know this one may seem cliché, but every school has a ton of opportunities for students to get involved. There are clubs and organizations that suit every personality for all different types of people. Not only are they fun, social, and definitely resume builders, but being involved in several areas helps you to manage your time better. You may wind up finding a club or hobby that will become your future career.

9. Go to office hours!

While you may sometimes feel like your professors are out to get you, they really do want you to do well. Despite the one who said, “You’re not going to do well on the next exam because my graduate student made it,” I still, somewhere deep inside, believe they are striving to bring out the best in each of us. Office hours, while may seem inconvenient for you if they run into your lunch time, workout, or Netflix series, are critical. Make the time to drop in. Get to know them and the TA’s. Sometimes relating on a personal level changes your entire perspective of them and their classes. Professors are moms and dads just like ours, they enjoy human interaction and hey, if you’re on the cusp of a B or an A, your visits to them might make them lean “A.”

10. Thank your parents every day.

Last, but certainly not least, remember to thank your parents daily for giving you the opportunity to go to college. The sacrifices they’ve made in order for us to go to college is definitely worth your thanks and appreciation for them. Just the simple words, “thank you,” can put a smile on their face and brighten up their day more than you know. Let them know their struggles and sacrifices are totally worth it. (So, thank you Mom and Dad, if I don’t already say it enough.)