There are things in life that we should avoid, like getting bit by a snake and falling into a giant black hole, but what are some things not do in college? Well, getting bit by a snake and falling into a giant black hole are definitely two things that you should try to avoid, but here are some other “don’ts” in college.

1. Don't talk about your high school friends constantly.

If you constantly talk about your high school friends and reminisce about old times, you’ll never really be “in the now.” Make new friends and keep the old. Soak it all in. Don’t become that person who is stuck in high school. Plus, honestly, the likelihood of your current college friends caring about what you and your best friends from high school did is very slim.

2. Don't ask the professor if the material will be on the test/exam.

If a professor teaches something in class, just assume that it will be on the next test. You can never go wrong with that logic. When you ask the professor if the material will be on the test, that makes you come off like you don’t really care about their class. “Professor So-and-so, will we be tested on this?” translates into, “I’m not going to pay attention and learn this unless I have to.” In college, you are in charge of your own education. How much you want to learn and how much you want to put into the class is now up to you. Coming to class with an “I’ll only pay attention if I’m going to be tested on it” attitude not only wastes the professor’s time, but it also wastes your time and money.

3. Don't do random hookups.

We’ve all heard of those crazy college nights that some people regret and that some people can’t even remember. Random hook ups never leave either party feeling good in the long run. It may satisfy your needs at the moment, but the cons outweigh the pros nine out of 10 times. Random hookups also are a bad idea for the obvious reasons of health and safety. Chances are good that you probably met him/her just that night and you barely know them, so just “taking their word for it” and trusting that they're telling the truth about being clean of diseases and/or infections is not the way to go.

4. Don't exclude people.

The pain of social rejection is something that we all fear. Everyone has felt left out at one point or another and I think that I can speak for everyone in saying that it is not a positive feeling. Although you may have suffered that feeling of social rejection a lot when growing up, you should not wish that same suffering on others. As the Golden Rule says, “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” An inclusive environment leads to a better tomorrow.

5. Don't neglect "homework."

Homework in college is very different from the homework that you had in high school. In high school, homework was a mandatory thing. (Although, you still may not have done it depending on what type of student you were.) In college, you are given assignments that professors suggest that you complete, which means that you should do them. The same type of suggested problems from the textbook will likely show up on your exam, so you might as well get practice now when you can still go ask for help and before it counts for your grade.

There is not a book of "dos" and "don’ts for college, as nice as that may be. Ultimately, what you do and do not do is up to you. You are control of your own future. The list of "dos" and "don’ts that I came up with are just some things that I have noticed that have benefited me in my first semester of college.