As I begin my senior year of college, I can’t help but look back and remember (or not remember) my first few weeks as an innocent, shiny freshman. As my last year has finally approached, you’re entire experience is just now beginning. Now that you've got welcome weekend and syllabus week under your belt, we've got a few things to discuss. Although I came out of state from Texas to the lovely state of Ohio not knowing a single person three years ago, I still feel that the advice I have to give is worth taking a good ten minutes out of your day to read.

The Do's

1. Choose Happiness. Take classes that make you happy. You’ll surprise yourself at how much you will actually enjoy it, and the break from your required courses. Better yet, don’t settle for a major that doesn’t make you happy. If after a month has passed and you're still waking up dreading three fourths of your course load (relating to your major), you might want to rethink and restructure what you really want to do. You have the time, so do it sooner than later!
2. Get Your Sweat On. Go to the gym in the morning, it’s not crowded and you’ll feel like you can take on the world (OK more like your day) with all the energy you’ll have. If you can't make it happen in the morning, at least try to get yourself there (and yes I mean even after everyone else has given up after the first few weeks).
3. Face It and Embrace It. Make yourself laugh about your crazy nights, don’t stress about them. If you happen to spend the night with that guy or girl from MWF class and they want to pretend like it never happened, roll with it! They clearly aren't worth your time if they take that path. Trust me, there will be others. On another note, don’t cry over how drunk you got at that frat party or at that house on Wheeler St. and ended up puking up your Drunken Bento sushi on some cute new pledge, it’s an unspoken right of passage as a freshman. Embrace it.
4. Work Hard, Play Hard. Take your classes seriously. Your parents aren’t throwing down $20,000 to $35,000 a year or taking out loans for you to spend every class screwing around on your phone, do that on your own time. Put down your iPhone, Android, Galaxy whatever and listen and learn. Take it even further and ask questions, or help other people out. The more you pay attention in class now, the less coffee you'll have to consume to keep yourself awake for those all nighters during exam week.
5. Live in the Present. Spend your weekends in the moment, on and around campus. I don't care if your parents live thirty minutes away or if your boyfriend who goes to OU is begging you to visit for the fourth weekend in a row, say no! Your college experience is here and you will miss out.
6. Snap Away. Take an obnoxious amount of pictures. It's pretty fun to look back on what you looked like (and what outfits you somehow convinced yourself were attractive) throughout your first year of college. You grow older as every moment passes, so capture the memories while they are right in front of you.
7. Bring cash to the bar. You don’t want to wake up the next morning and see that $60 charge from Woody’s or Mac’s on your statement, you will hate yourself. You'll also notice how much your spending when you have to see your money leaving your wallet or purse right in front of you (not fun).
8. Get Involved. I don't know how much I can stress that getting out there and joining clubs, social groups, greek life, and so many other incredible things UC has to offer will make a difference for you. It will bring new people and new color to your life.

The Don'ts

1. Cocky Isn't Cute. Don’t let upper classmen push you around, but also don’t act like you know more than us or are on some higher level of earth that everyone else hasn't discovered. We’re all at the same school, and unfortunately we do have more years here under our belts than you do, so learn from us! We won’t patronize you, we’d honestly rather just party with you.
2. Dress Yo'Self. Please, I'm begging you don't be that person who shows up to class in your pjs, aka, don’t roll out of bed and come sit in a room with 10 to 200 other people in clothes that you’ve spent the last 12 hours sleeping in. To answer your question, yes, you do smell. People can tell and they will stare. Hey, you might even be the main discussion topic on a few GroupMe's and you’ll definitely end up on someone’s Snapchat story...so do your best to avoid it. I promise, showering every day is not that hard, you can do it.
3. Say Goodbye to Toxic People. Don’t let your ex’s control your happiness, whether they followed you to school or not. This is your time and your future, so leave them out of it and move on. Everyone goes through heartbreak but to be completely honest, no one wants to hear you drunk cry (or soberly cry) about your ex when they first meet you. Nah, son. There are over 40,000 people at this school, so delete that one number out of your phone and go get four new ones.
4. Don't Create Issues. Don’t be that asshole or bitch that causes drama, it’s not funny and it doesn’t make you look cool. Despite what you think, no one wants that around and doesn’t want to deal with it. You might be bored with your life or have nothing better to do, but leave high school where it belongs, in the past.
5. Put the Pizza Down. Limit your days where you eat like shit at the dining hall, because all that free ice cream, pizza and all of those chicken tender Tuesdays will creep up on you (or on your ass) by the end of the semester. Instead of planning on having that freshman 15, make a plan to keep it off!
6. Don't Put It Off. Procrastination is such a thing, and I'm the queen of it. There is no cure, so when you feel it approaching, run away at full force! Write due dates out on a calendar where you can see them, plan ahead, or surprise yourself and do things early (hey more time to go to happy hour).
7. Branch Out! Make a ton of new friends but don’t throw your old ones under the bus (or anyone for that matter). Yes, you come to college with a fresh slate, but don’t start it off by giving people something negative to remember you by. You’d be surprised at what some people will remember over 3 years.

.....last but not least

Don't take this experience for granted. For some of you, it may not be the best four years of your life, but it will always be something you'll have to look back on. Don't waste a single second, do as much as you can and give 100 percent towards everything and everyone that you love. Why? It will, without a doubt, fly by so much faster than you think. So take that extra tequila shot, take that class your parents don't think will "benefit your education," go out on a Tuesday, have faith in yourself and live your college years for one person and one person only, YOU.