Summer break never seems to last as long as they say it does.

So since it's already August and most of us will be going back to school soon, if we're not already there, it's time to start thinking about classes again. For those of you who have never attended a college class before, this guide will hopefully help you survive your first week as a college student.

1. Find Your Classroom Before Class

This probably sounds stupid, but you're probably new to your campus and you might not know where everything is. It can be really helpful going out and walking through the academic buildings your classes will be in so you can get a feel for it. Find where your classes will be held and make a mental note. Keep an eye out for the drinking fountains and the bathrooms, because even if you don't think you will, you'll most likely need them at some point.

2. Need Something? Ask

All upperclassmen remember what it was like to be a freshman. And if any of those people are rude to you because you can't find a building or a specific room, then they're just jerks pretending it never happened to them. Because it has definitely happened to all of us. If you really can't find something, just ask someone else and hopefully they can point you in the right direction or help you find someone who can if they can't. Professors, staff and other employees are all going to help you out in some way nine out of 10 times, too. You may feel awkward asking, but is that really worse than missing your first day of class or waltzing into the wrong room?

3. Introduce Yourself

Introduce yourself to everyone. Fellow classmates, professors, secretaries, office aids, campus safety officers, the cleaning staff, literally anyone you come across. But you have to do it the right way. You can't just walk up to someone, shove your hand in their face, and say, "Yo, I'm Joe Shmoe, and I'm gonna rule this campus." ...No. First of all, you're rude, and second, you'll look like an idiot. Just say something like, "Hey, I'm [insert first name here]." Be calm about it and make it clear that you're getting to know the people around you. If you're introducing yourself to other people in your dorm hall, just say what room you're in and that you'll see them around. If you encounter any of the professors or staff and they help you with something, thank them. No one likes helping people who don't appreciate them. Saying thank you and other common sense things make people feel appreciated.

4. Sleep a Lot

You may be thinking, "That's dumb, Regen. It's #College! Why should I sleep when I can par-tay?!" My answer to this would be something like, "How can you par-tay when you're running on three hours of sleep for the past five days? You can't." And you can't expect yourself to have enough energy for your actual classes and coursework when all you spend your time on is drinking and partying it up. Take naps. Go to bed early. Say no to the first student discount night at the club of the semester (it'll be so packed in there anyway, you won't even get in the door; trust me). You need to sleep and be rested enough to take decent notes in class. Believe me when I say you can't come back from screwing up your GPA your first semester. I know from experience.

5. Don't Screw Up Your GPA First Semester

Again. Just don't. Get yourself a tutor, visit your professors' office hours (they all have them), go to the library for reasons other than printing your papers or watching Netflix in the back. Build up and refine your study skills, because most of us didn't actually learn how to study in high school.

6. Get a Calendar, and Use It

Use iCal, a handy dandy planner, a desk calendar, or one of those nifty whiteboard calendars. But the point is you actually have to use it. You can't just buy one and set up the first month and then never look at it again. Put your classes in there, practices, meetings, events on campus, everything you even think you might be interested in. If you have weekly meetings every Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 10:30 a.m., write it down. If you have to set aside 11 a.m. through 1 p.m. every day for lunch so you don't schedule something else, then write it down. If you know you'll spend from 8 p.m. until 3 a.m. pre-gaming and going to the club on Thursday, then write it down.

7. Call Home

You're going to miss your family, but your family is going to miss you even more. You need to call them. At least once a week. Minimum. And you need to send texts to them whenever you get a chance, or whenever something makes you think of them or home in general. They're going to worry about you, so you just sending a random text at 7:21 p.m. on a Tuesday while you're bored in class will at least help them realize you're still alive and coherent enough to send a text.

8. Don't Blow All of Your Money the First Month

Yes, Taco Bell and McDonald's are both a five-minute drive from campus. Yes, the school cafeteria is open until midnight and you have $150 loaded on your student card to spend. Yes, those Oreos sure do sound good, but you also need to buy deodorant. Should you waste your money on every little thing just because Mom and Dad aren't there to tell you not to? No. Save your money. If you can get through the week without going to McDonald's every day then do it. Because there will probably come a time during your first semester when you just really need a pint of ice cream or some gas in your car or a load of laundry, and you really don't want to have wasted all of your money on pitchers for $2.50 at the club or $5 pizzas from Little Caesars.

9. Join a Campus Club or Two

If you're not playing a sport in college, and even if you are, you can find yourself with some downtime when you've gotten through all of your homework. So instead of spending that time drinking or watching Netflix, you can join some campus organizations! Yay! Every college or university has an organization that puts on all of the campus events. At Adrian, ours is called Campus Activities Network, but I've seen them be called things like Student Activities Board, Campus Board of Activities, and other similar names. If none of the current organizations or clubs catch your eye, you can always start your own club!

10. Be Yourself

I know I say this in a lot of my articles, but it's super important this time. Are you going to change your first year at college? Of course. There's no stopping that from happening because you're experiencing so many new things and figuring yourself out away from home. It'll happen and you should let it. But don't let other people influence you or make you change into something you don't like. You need to stay true to who you are and what you think because you'll find a lot of things that will alter your opinions while at college, and sometimes you need to just take a step back and realize it may just not be what you're into. The right people will respect you for being able to step back and be yourself, and there will be people who will try to make you feel like sh*t for not conforming or doing what they're doing. But the most important thing to remember is that you're the only person who will always watch your back. You have to look out for yourself and make yourself happy because other people are temporary, even when it seems like they'll be around forever. So stay you and do you.