Make friends. I know this one sounds really obvious but hear me out. Make friends and keep them. You will meet a lot of people your first several weeks of college, and they'll all be so cool and you’ll always want to hang out with them, etc. But then college really sets in and you always have homework and you aren’t as homesick anymore nor as desperate for friends. You and your 60 new BFFs will start to drift apart. Hang onto the ones that are really worth it, and they’ll probably be your friends for life.

Explore your college town. Don’t be that kid that goes home every single weekend--take the time that you’re not in class to navigate your way around the town that you get to call home for the next four (or five) years. It’ll come in handy when you know all the best places to eat in town, especially when you ask out that cutie in your math class.

Enjoy your meal plan. Okay, I know what I just said about going off campus, but seriously, appreciate your meal plan while you still have it. It’s nice to have a guarantee that you can eat that day, and if you know you don’t eat that much, feel free to take your upperclassmen out to lunch (especially certain Odyssey writers, if you catch my drift).

Be kind to your roomie. Whether you got a rando or you’re rooming with your bestie from high school, be nice to your roomie. Don’t start unnecessary drama and choose your battles wisely. Nine months in a cramped dorm room (jail cell) can be hell if you start off on the wrong foot. Don’t borrow their stuff without permission, don’t invite over a billion people without telling them, and if you wake up earlier or go to bed later than them, be considerate of their sleep. Seriously, just be nice.

Go to class. Just because your classes don’t take attendance doesn’t mean every day is Skip Day. Missing more than one class can put you way behind, and you can’t learn everything from reading your textbook. You’re paying thousands of dollars a year on tuition and paid hundreds for your textbooks for the privilege of going to school--so actually go to class.