There is no doubt that college can be “the best four years of your life”, but sometimes students don’t know how to fully take advantage of them. While I wouldn’t call myself an expert or say that I completely know what I’m doing at school, I can say that I’m halfway through and have learned some interesting tips along the way. So whether you’re an incoming freshman, or have been in college for a while, here are seven “unexpected” tips for college students!

The steam room makes for an excellent facial.

If like many college students your skin starts to break out from all the stress, hit the steam room at the rec center. While it may be a little hard to breathe in there, and it feels like you are sitting in a pool, after a few minutes your skin will feel so much better! It’s like going to get a facial at the spa!

Keep on top of your health.

You can probably tell from some of the other tips in this article, and a few of my other articles, but I spend a lot of time at my university’s recreation center. One of the best ways to fight stress, prevent illness, and keep weight off is to work out, so take advantage of the fact that your school probably has a multi million-dollar recreation center.

A trip to the sauna is the best hangover cure.

If you had a little too much fun during a night out, make a trip to your university’s recreation center and hit the sauna. Sweating out the toxins is the best way to make you feel instantly better. I can’t say that I’ve ever had to do this (Hi, Mom), but my friends have told me that it is for sure the best hangover cure!

Don’t wait until the middle of the semester to get to know the people in your classes.

While it may seem a little awkward to go up to the kid next to you during the first week and be like, “Hi, what’s your name? Wanna be friends?” it’s so much better than waiting until your struggling and juggling studying for midterms to ask for someone to help you study. Plus, if you absolutely cannot get out of bed and make it to class one day, you wont look like that jerk who just goes up to some random person and asks for the notes!

Don’t walk around campus with your headphones in all the time.

Sure you like jamming to your tunes, and maybe it is what wakes you up and gets you ready to go in the morning, but try to not always have your headphones in while walking across campus. Walking with them in cuts you off from the people around you, and makes you unapproachable.

Don’t be too attached to your phone.

While yes cell phones are a great way to stay in contact with your friends and family and are good to have for safety purposes, don’t allow yourself to be glued to it. If you’re in line at Starbucks, break the habit of checking your social media, and try making conversation with the person next to you. Or if you’re waiting for class to start, introduce yourself to one of your classmates. The point is, we have become so attached to our phones that we miss opportunities to see what’s happening around us and to meet new people.

Force yourself to do things that are outside of your comfort zone.

I’m not saying to go jump off a bridge, but do something that you may be a little hesitant to do. For instance, instead of waiting around for that cute guy to come talk to you, go introduce yourself to him! Or if you really want something, go get it! Don’t let your nerves get in the way of awesome things happening to you. The four years you spend in college are some of the best years of your life, so don’t let things pass you by because you’re too scared to put yourself out there!

If you have any cool tips for college students, leave them in the comments below!