This Wednesday, I found myself sitting in my school's Health Services Center with lymph nodes the size of acorns. A rapid strep test came back positive, and when the nurse asked me what antibiotics I remember having taken for strep throat before, I suggested she check my medical history here because I'd had strep at school this time last year.

"Oh, yeah," she said, "Almost to the date!"

Getting sick while at college is inevitable: you're living in a building and maybe sharing a bathroom with a ton of other people who may not have the cleanliest habits and could be bringing a whole bucketful of germs to each class they attend. There are, however, some ways to make getting sick at school less likely...and of course, ways to make it bearable should you come down with, say, strep throat during midterms.

1. Get your flu shot.

It's amazing how many people think they don't need to get one every year when that's so not the case.

2. Sleep in a semi-regular manner.

It's difficult to get the suggested 7-10 hours every night, but even grabbing a quick nap when you're able to can make a difference to a body that's getting run down.

3. Don't eat garbage.

This one's tricky, but sugar late at night may help you stay up to study and then betray you by taking away your healthy immune system's willpower to fight. Don't neglect your whole grains, lean meats, fruits, and veggies!

4. Chug some Emergen-C.

If your hall-mate, your classmate, or (eek!) your roommate has the sniffles, it may be a good idea to take this precaution. A little Vitamin C never hurt anyone, but the common cold has been known to knock you out of the game for a week.

5. Crack a window.

If you share a heating and cooling system with your building and the vents connect rooms and hallways, that means germs are basically getting a free ride to any space that's hooked up. Creating a little cross-ventilation can carry those bad boys out the window and give you some much needed fresh air.

6. Keep your hands clean.

Washing your hands regularly and using anti-bacterial gels when you're on the go can make a big difference. If you find yourself drying out your hands, though, that's a great excuse to buy some seasonal-scented lotion and moisturize away!

7. And keep your hands away from your face.

Pretend like your face is a wall with a sign that says, "Fresh paint. Don't touch". Rubbing your eyes or playing with your lip is something you might do without even noticing, but you'll definitely notice when you come down with the stomach bug everyone's got.

8. Get checked out if you think something's up.

If you've got multiple symptoms that aren't going away, don't just Web M.D. it up and think you're good to go. Either go to your on-campus health center, or a nearby walk-in clinic and see a real, live, person about your health.

9. Be proactive with professors if you're sick.

Tell them what's up, and also make sure they know you're on top of it: have a H.W. buddy you can get assignments and notes from, and don't neglect work and watch Netflix while waiting for those antibiotics to kick in.

10. Ask for help from family and friends.

If you have family nearby and they can help you in any way, it might be good to get out of your stuffy, quarantined dorm room and rest in a quieter, cleaner space. And friends are great for loaning you thermometers, ice packs, and driving to CVS to pick up your favorite flavor of cough drops (and maybe a can of soup) if you ask them nicely because they know you'd do the same for them.

11. Take you medicine (Not with a spoonful of sugar, but with plenty of fluids!)

Even if you think that because the antibiotics have kicked in and you're feeling better that means you can skip the rest of the batch, it's safer to finish them all on schedule. If you're supposed to take them for a really long time and feel it's excessive, or they haven't helped at all and you're supposed to be better by now, talk to the doctor who gave you the prescription.

12. Don't freak out.

People have gotten sick before you, and they will get sick long after you. If you're really worries about falling behind in classes or missing tests or paper deadlines, see what your school's policy on illness-related absences is. Last year I was very sick all during finals week, but managed to only get one incomplete grade and that was fixed as soon as I got back on campus the next semester. Professors know you didn't contract swine flu on purpose--nobody's that desperate to get out of an exam. As long as you're someone who's a good student when you're healthy and well, nothing's going to fall apart just because you miss a few classes.