I can say without a doubt that the 3 years I have completed at Appalachian State have been the best 3 years in my life, but like any experience, you learn a lot along the way. I have been fortunate enough to have older students show me some tricks of the trade from the beginning of school my freshman year, a wide eyed small fish in a big pond, to the my final year here in the high country, now a veteran of sorts. Looking back there are very few things that I would do differently, but there are also golden nuggets of advice picked up along the way. Let the following article act as your guide, whether you are an incoming freshman, transfer student, or even a returning student looking to make the best of your time here at Appalachian state.

1. Get Involved.

I put this as number one on my list because I cannot stress enough the importance of it. Getting involved welcomes you to new ideas, friend groups, activities, and connections you might not have made otherwise. Whether it be joining one of the many clubs on campus, joining Greek life, working a job, or playing a sport (intramural, club, or varsity) getting involved allows you to have a truly rounded college experience, not to mention it also helps the job search and interview process a TON when it comes time to start doing grown up things.

2. It is much easier to bring down your GPA than to pull it up.

I’m sure you will hear this a million times, but coming from experience I can tell you it is TRUE. Start college with as high of a GPA as possible, those freshman classes are normally relatively easy and if you can get a solid GPA your first year or so this will create a nice buffer for later on when the course load is much tougher and you may be busier.

3. There is a such thing as Attendance Policies.

Going along with the GPA thing, attendance policies are the real deal. Most classes have a 2 or 3 absence policy, and if you go over you will lose up to a letter grade for each absence past the thresh hold. This is one of those stupid things that everyone loses a few points here and there on their GPA, and it can be easily avoided.

4. USE RATE MY PROFESSOR.

This site really is a god sent, you can see how difficult teachers are, what their assignments are like, how effective they are at teaching, grading scales, and attendance policy which helps you choose the best professor for you. I am not saying to completely rely on the site, but use it as extra help when determining your class schedule.

5. Travel every chance you get.

Whether you’re are going on a road trip to a football game, visiting some buddies at a different school, traveling with a club or professor, or studying abroad, take advantage of every chance you have to travel because it is a lot harder to find the time to do so in the real world. Sure it may seem like a little more money than you want to spend at the time, but looking back all those small trips I took helped round out my college experience. I got to see places I may not get the opportunity to see again after I graduate, and create some of the best memories of college. One of my biggest regrets is not studying abroad. Although, I have not had the chance to do this due to my course load, I have heard nothing but great things from people who spent time in amazing places. They went to countries like Thailand and Spain, not to mention Appalachian state has a fantastic Study Abroad program with tons of universities in just about every country imaginable.

6. Enjoy your first few weeks.

This is arguably the most important thing: Nothing compares to that feeling of your first week in college. I still get the chills seeing all the wide-eyed freshman moving in during welcome weekend every year. I think about my first month of school, and all the fun things I did on a regular basis, and still laugh and reminisce with buddies about the memories. This is your first true taste of freedom, you are living on your own, you are meeting new people, having to budget your money, you have no curfew, the parties are huge and there are lots of them, there’s so much to explore in Boone and beyond, and there is so much on the horizon to come. Do not sit in your dorm and play video games or watch Netflix. Go out, meet people, explore Boone, and take a chance doing something you’ve never done before. Nothing compares to the emotions you will experience in these first few weeks of school stepping out of your comfort zone, and you will never forget some of the memories you make, or the friends you’ve gained that may be beside you through the rest of your college journey.

7. LIVE IT UP.

Following these guidelines and other advice/lessons you pick up along the way will put you on the right track, but only you can dictate your college experience. These are some of the best years of your life and truly are what you make of them. Only you can make sure that you live them to the fullest. So, go on that long hike to the cliff no one knows about, jump off that waterfall, flirt with that person who grabbed your attention walking to class, but most of all, live every moment to the fullest, because before you know it you will be moving on to the next chapter in your life and college will be over; trust me, it fly’s by.