Hello there! First off, I want to congratulate you for graduating high school! This is the biggest moment of your life up to this point and you deserve high praise for all your accomplishments. You graduated in the top of your class, became a National Merit Scholar, and even gave the closing prayer for your ceremony. In addition, you are also preparing to go off to college in New York. THE New York. I couldn’t be more happy or proud of you.

As you begin your transition from graduated high school student to college freshman, I want to impart some guidance on to you. I may not be the wisest person to have ever gone through college, but I want to relay some suggestions based off what I experienced during my four years.

1. Enjoy your summer before you leave: This may seem like a no-brainer, but make sure you really enjoy your summer before you leave. This summer will be one of the last time all your friends from high school will be in the same area with considerable amounts of free. You make sure you spend time with the people who matter to you most and cherish the times you have. Stay up late. Try new things. Go on trips. And make sure you let your friends know how much they mean to you.

2. Nobody cares about high school, so don’t talk about it all the time: You have a maximum 7 days after class starts to talk about high school. After that, absolutely nobody cares. Honestly before that nobody cares, but its acceptable to talk about that first week because you don’t know anyone and it’s the most relatable thing for incoming freshman to talk about. The worst thing you can possibly do it bring up your high school accomplishments excessively. Pretty much everyone whose in college will have a laundry list of accolades. College is the time to make new stories and memories.

3. Be spontaneous: You are moving to a completely new place full of unique people. So don’t stick to what you’ve always known. Thousands of people from unique backgrounds will surround you, along with thousands of distinctive ideas and perspectives, so take a chance to soak all of it up and process it. Try out new modes of thoughts, change up your style, experience new things and meet new people. You may feel uncomfortable due to the new surroundings, but embrace the discomfort and still push forward. Its better to try something and realize you don’t like it than live in regret because you never tried.

4. Call Mom and family once a week: This one may not seem as important, but it’s most likely the most important thing on this list. Mom will worry about you 24/7, so give her some relief every week so she knows you are alive. It is also important for your own well-being. Your first year can be overwhelming, and sometimes you need something that’s going to be a constant while everything else is new and changing. No matter what happens in school or life, your family will always be there to love you and support you. And that love and support will keep you strong when those tough times come.

5. Build a good relationship with your professors: You’ll need to at least be cordial with every professor you have a class with. The worst thing that can happen is that a professor you have in class does not know your name. I’m not saying suck up and be disingenuous, but you want them to know who you are in case you ever need to miss a class or something comes up. Visit office hours if you have questions, and participate in class. It will open up a lot of opportunities for you, and you may even gain some life long friendships with some of them.

6. Be yourself: Besides calling Mom every week, this is the most important thing I want you to keep in mind. You are an amazingly talented and charismatic person. You’re extremely funny (even though I absolutely despise your puns), kind, and brilliant. Don’t try and change who you are to fit in to the crowd. Be yourself and stand out. You were always meant to shine.