Dearest UVA Class of 2019, welcome to the best four years of your life. No, really, as a fourth year I can testify to the fact that UVA is just as wonderful as everyone told you it would be (better, in fact). It’s a big transition, though, and I wanted to offer some tips and tricks for life at Mr. Jefferson’s University. I've listed 19 things I wish someone would have told me as a first year. Learn ‘em, live ‘em, love ‘em and if you have more questions, my comment box is always open. Wahoowa!

1. Always, always, always use Lou's List when you're signing up for classes.

Lou's List is everything you need to survive class scheduling. It was created by our very own Lou Bloomfield, an ace professor, UVA's version of Bill Nye, and generally just a wonderful human being. Lou's List will change your life. Don't ever use SIS (pronounced "sis," not "S-I-S") for anything other than the actual deed. Lou's List is every UVA student's best friend. Use it to search for classes, find out if they're full (yes, it will tell you in real time which ones are), and see how many people are on the waiting list. Got it? Okay, good talk.

2. Don't wear nice clothes on move-in day.

You will get sweaty. And gross. And you will want those nice clothes on days when you'll actually be meeting people. If you must wear nice clothes, bring them to change into after you move in. And after you shower.

3. Make friends with people — in your classes, in the dining halls, around your dorm.

There's an unspoken rule at UVA that you can strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone, and 99 percent of the time, people will be super receptive. Walk up to a random table in the dining hall and say, "Hey, do you mind if I sit with you?" Everyone does it at one point or another. This expires after the first month of school, though, so make use of the opportunity.

It may sound super dorky of me, but I had this rule first year that if I wanted to talk to someone, I would count down from five (in my head, obviously, I'm not that dorky) and then turn to them and say, "Hi, I'm Aly!" It's not so scary after the first four or five times. Promise.

4. If you wear a lanyard, everyone will know you're a first-year.

Take that as you will.

5. The Alumni Association card is a lifesaver.

Pick up one of these for free during orientation or any time at Alumni Hall. You get 10 percent off any purchase (other than textbooks, unfortunately) at the UVA Bookstore, as well as these other fun C-Ville discounts.

6. You will become a coffee addict.

Plus Dollars help. And don't forget that there's a Starbucks in Nau Hall.

7. Join a club. (Or three.)

UVA has a club for just about every possible interest. Go to the Activities Fair and you'll see. Aside from being a fun way to spend your time, clubs are a great place to meet people and make lasting friendships. I joined a Christian Fellowship my first year and gained what felt like 500 new friends my very first weekend here. And they brought me cookies. I love cookies. Anyway. The point: Clubs are great. Do yourself a favor and don't pretend you're too cool for them — we all know you had to be just a little bit nerdy to get in to this school.

Sidenote: Notice I said three. Don't sign up for everything in the world at the Activities Fair; it'll just clog up your inbox with annoying listserv emails. Only the ones you're actually interested in, folks.

8. Don't go to Block Party.

But actually. Please please please just don't do it. Not once in my life has anyone ever gone to Block Party and thought, "This was a great idea." Just trust me on this one.

9. Wait until the first week of classes to buy your books.

You probably won't stick with all the classes you signed up for at orientation anyway, and the return policies on textbooks at the bookstore are an actual nightmare.

10. Don't hole yourself up in your dorm room and/or the library all the time.

Yes, college classes are hard. Yes, you want to end the semester with a good GPA (more on that later). However, I can promise you that you'll regret not hanging out with your friends if you spend all your time studying. It's good and right and okay to study in groups with your friends, and the occasional laughter and Buzzfeed study breaks will make that Calc homework feel a little less oppressive.

11. Dress up for football games... at least once.

No, you don't have to, but it's a thing here. We like dressing up and looking classy. And it's a good distraction, since the football team is actually terrible.

12. Make time for office hours (early and often).

One of those "lies everyone believes" about office hours is that you need to have an actual problem with the homework to go. You don't. Go to office hours for professors in classes that you're either really interested in or you think you might have trouble with in the future. In the case of the former, you gain a good reference for jobs or major program applications. In the latter, the professor will be less likely to judge you when/if you do come in crying during midterms and finals. You'll gain a lot of valuable info from your profs, and you'll feel like a total pro when they know you by name in class. GO DURING OFFICE HOURS. I cannot stress that enough.

13. Learn the bus system.

The Charlottesville Area Transit and the University Bus System will get you everywhere you need to go. Download the apps here: CAT and UTS.

14. The Stud is the best place to study.

Why, you ask? What is The Stud, you ask? Well, a fellow Odyssey writer wrote all about it here.

15. Don't buy your textbooks from the Bookstore unless you absolutely have to.

Four sites that are consistently cheaper: Amazon, Textbooks.com, Chegg, Half.com. Or compare prices across the board using Slugbooks.

16. Clemons has pretty much every movie and TV series ever.

So, if you can brave a trip to the library, you won't have to worry about those sketchy movie-downloading sites. Just remember, all of your notes and your papers are on that computer. Use it well.

17. You will have plenty of time to fill your requirements.

Believe me. I took almost all of mine during my first year and now my advisor complains that I never leave the English Department. (#SorryNotSorry.) It's really okay to spread them out over your years here. Don't stress, little first-year, you'll get them done.

18. Your GPA isn't everything.

Especially your first year. If you got into UVA, it means you took high school seriously — really seriously. I'm not saying that you shouldn't do that here, I'm just telling you that sometimes you will try your absolute hardest in a class and you still won't get an A. Or maybe even a B. And that is okay.

19. Always, always sing the Good Old Song.

Wahoowa.