A senior's guide book for incoming freshman:

Freshman: I know that it's a bit of a culture shock coming to a big university like Mississippi State. You go from spending your entire life living with your parents and having the same friends you've had for years, to living in a strange place with a complete stranger. You find yourself confused about a lot of things when it comes to not only the school, but the town around you. There's orientation, and campus visits but you never really get the full experience until you get to college.

In 2012, my freshman year, I would say all the time “I wish that I had an upperclassman who would show me the ropes and the ins and outs of being a good college student.” I wanted someone who could teach me the skills needed to make the most of the full college student experience. I needed a guide through the life of a college student.

So, as a senior now, I came up with a guide with some tips, tricks, and advice for all of the incoming freshman coming to Mississippi State with not a clue of what to expect.

20 MSU Senior Guide Rules for Freshman

1. Go to class! (Simply going to class can be the difference between passing and failing. A lot of teachers count attendance as points and you don't find out until it's too late.)

2. Highway 12 isn't all that Starkville has to offer. Don't be afraid to venture off. (There are a lot of cool restaurants, lakes, parks etc. all over Starkville.)

3. Get out and introduce yourself to the people in your dorm. Take advantage of the events and programs that your resident advisers host for the hall.

4. State charges us to wash our clothes, so if possible, find a friend with an apartment to wash for free.

5. Block and flex are very different. Flex is technically money, block is a meal worth $7.25.

6. Choose the meal plan that works for you. Don't be fooled by the wording. Read them carefully and then select your meal plan.

7. The freshman 15 is real. As students, we have free access to our campus gym, the Sanderson.

8. If you don't have a car, State has S.M.A.R.T. buses that will take you back and forth from campus into town.

9. You only have to stay on campus your freshman year (most apartments are much cheaper than on campus living).

10. Get involved — The easiest way to meet new people and make friends is joining new organizations. People connect with people they share common things with. (I met my best friends through an organization.)

11. Introduce yourself to your professors.

12. Do not ask people that are 21 and older to buy you alcohol, all of you will go to jail.

13. It's okay to come into college undeclared and get your prerequisites out of the way in that confused year, but it's good to have some type of ideal career path by your Sophomore year.

14. Skipping class can become a habit so just don't do it.

15. Don't schedule 8 o'clock classes unless you're a morning person. I know that high school may have started as early as 8 o'clock but a college course is much different than high school.

16. Email all of your work to yourself or back it up on a hard drive.

17. Think of your college career as a job or grad/professional school application to your dream job. Every class, every grade, every organization and volunteer hour can either take you one step closer or further from being hired.

18. Don not procrastinate. Tests and assignments pile up faster than you can think so schedule your work!

19. Don't neglect mom and dad. Call them and remember that you're not the only one that has a big change. Their baby isn't home any more and they worry about you, so call them.

20. As a student of Mississippi State University, we have one important rule that stands above the rest, always remember to ring responsibly.