Hey there, all you high school grads, it's the time of year where you are starting to get ready to head off to college. I am sure everyone and their mom is telling you what it is going to be like, so I will too. Only I just graduated college, so the experience is fresher in my mind. There are big and small differences between high school and college (again I’m sure you’ve heard). So here are some recommendations from one grad to another.

Everyone has said it, GO TO CLASS! You get points just for being there. And you are paying for it, so you’re wasting your money if you make a habit out of skipping. Believe it or not, the professors actually do notice if you repeatedly aren’t there. They will like you more if you go to class and participate, that means if you’re having a problem they will be more sympathetic. Just as much as you don’t want to be there at 8 a.m., they don’t want to either.

Keep track of your deadlines, it’s not like high school where due dates are written and repeated for you. You must make a point to write down due dates and hand things in on time. However, just like high school, everything seems to be due at the same time; this is where keeping track of due dates will help you knock off the easy assignments before you become overwhelmed.

The first week of college is going to be a strange week. Be open to talking to new people, you never know where you are going to find friends. Class is easier if you have friends to work with (I’m talking group projects), and your free time becomes more fun when you have a group of people to hang out with.

Roommates, these are tough. Even if you get along swimmingly there are still going to be times when you are annoyed with each other. Remember you’re in college now, act like an adult and talk through the problems you are having. If you don’t address the issue nothing will get fixed and your relationship will suffer. Now if you don’t get along with your roommate, you still have to be nice or civil. It’s their home too, hopefully they will pay you the same respect. There is really no telling how you and a roommate will get along, even if you know each other already. This is why you should make friends in addition to your roommate so you are not always stuck together.

If you are at a school where you can go off campus, you should go and explore. Chances are you’re not always going to be in the dorms and you want to get a view of the land. Also, college towns tend to have good food, so checking out the different restaurants and pizza places, will give you an alternative to the dining hall or cup-o-noodles.

Get involved in something, most schools have an involvement fair within the first month of the semester. Although you may have been looking forward to being lazy (and you will still have time for that), employers look for people who did activities and clubs with their time. It shows that you can be apart of a team. And joining a team or club or council will ultimately still leave you with free time. What you may not realize is that you are in class for maybe three hours a day unless you have more than five classes or a lab. And after that, you are free to do what your little heart desires. And even with practice or a meeting, there is still a significant amount of time to just chill out in someone’s room or take a nap.

Lastly enjoy your time at school, this is the last time you will have the same level of freedom. If you don’t like the place you’re at then by all means transfer. College is not only about getting a degree (although it is a large part of it), you actually grow up a lot in those four to five years, and if you hate the environment you’re in then you owe it to yourself to find one you do like. Good luck to you all, and have fun, it is a very exciting time!