You're Going to College!

As many students begin college for the first time this year, I find myself reflecting upon my own college experience and some things I wish I had known when embarking upon my own college journey. Therefore, I have assembled some Dos and Don'ts based on my own experiences into a handy clip 'n' save format below. (Parents ... you're welcome.)

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Do: Stack the beds in your dorm room to create more floor space and make it easier to live in close proximity with another person.

Don't: Push two high-backed desks along the length of the bunk bed, creating a single entry/exit point for the bottom bunk through one small opening at the foot of the bed. Further, do not refer to this as the "passion pit." Especially in front of your mother on parents' weekend.

Do: Take a variety of courses in areas that interest you. Many (all) of these will probably not fall within your major.

Don't: Be lulled into thinking that every college class will be awesome because your first collegiate class is Psych 101 and your professor is a hippie throwback who plays Crosby, Stills and Nash during his multimedia presentation.

Do: Study hard and get good grades. Not because it ultimately matters in life, but because you will have a sense of accomplishment in doing something well. And you might actually learn in the process.

Don't: Vow to never again make the honor roll simply because the last time you did, your middle name "Virginia" was truncated unfortunately to fit within the margins.

Do: Get invited to other people's parties and formal events. This will satisfy your need to reflect on photos of yourself sporting hideous of-the-era dresses and hairstyles 20 years later.

Don't: Join a sorority. Unless you relish the idea of spending more tearful hours than have been expended discussing Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debating the merits of whether khaki or black shorts should be worn with purple rush T-shirts.

Do: Make lots of new friends. Some of these people will be friends for life. And not only because they still have possession of the negatives from your weekend in Amsterdam.

Don't: Make out with lots of new friends. Save that for your 20s — which you will later come to know as your "decade of regret."

Do: Spend a semester abroad. The world is a big, exciting place and you will likely never again have so much freedom and so little responsibility while living in another country.

Don't: Flaunt your provinciality by asking a distinguished British gentleman if he can tell you how to get to the "Totten-HAM subway station" so he can then reply politely, "Well, I can direct you to the Tott-num tube."

Do: Be thankful social media did not exist when you were in college. (Sorry, suckers — you're on your own here.)

Have a great four-ish years and remember: Any bad choices you make now provide excellent fodder for a future humor column.