College is the time to experience new things, mold your opinions, mess up a few times, and create your identity. Here are a few things I feel every student should do before walking across the stage.

1. Get to know someone from another country.

It’s pretty cool to get to know someone of a different culture than what you’re used to. Especially if that’s the only thing you’ve been exposed to. Get to know their norms, music tastes, food, home life, etc. You might find something you like or even get to visit them in the future. Plus, you then have connections around the world.

2. Get an internship.

Businesses really do look for experience in a resumé. It really is super important to have at least some idea of what you’re getting into after college. Whether it be getting coffee for the head boss lady or transferring data over to excel sheets for 5 hours, an internship could make or break an employer's decision to hire you.

3. Skip class every once in a while.

Attendance is a huge part of your grade in the class, yes. However, it’s not everything. You’ve had a rough weekend. You’re not really doing anything in class. Screw it dude. Sleep in for once. Your 8 a.m. teacher will understand. Take a mental health day, just don’t make it an every week habit.

4. Go out at least once.

Whether it be the bars or a simple house party, I suggest everyone go out with some friends at one point in their college career. It gives you a chance to socialize with a person you don’t normally socialize with. With that said, don’t go out EVERY WEEKEND. Take a weekend to yourself and just relax. You’ll thank yourself either way.

5. Don’t study for a test.

Go to bed early. You’ve been doing fine on all the tests thus far, one test will not drastically drop your grade in the class. (Check your syllabus before you take my word for it though) It’s not like your brain is going to function completely right on 3 hours of sleep anyways. Take the L, but also take pride in the fact you probably got more sleep than your classmates.

6. Keep at least one friend from high school.

There seems to be a stigma about staying friends with people from high school. It’s completely ridiculous. You guys were friends at one point for one reason or another. Don’t cut them off just because you found a couple new friends. They’re the ones who you talk to when you go home and keep you grounded.