Last-minute college advice

There are many rules I abide by in life that keep me sane, but one rule reigns supreme.

Have fun.

That’s it. Just have fun.

This simple rule will take you far in reaching whatever goal you set out for to strive toward happiness. But this particular rule is very important for you who are headed off to college really soon.

I’m willing to bet my entry into college was a bit different than everyone else in the county. I graduated high school in Germany because my dad was still in the military and our last duty station was overseas. Before Germany my family lived in North Carolina, where we spent almost five years. Trust me when I say, that’s a long time for a military family.

Knowing that I was going through senior year in a foreign country, there were no chances for campus visits, unless I (read: my parents) wanted to dish out that $1000-plus plane ticket for me to do so. All of my research came through the Internet, hoping that the biggest decision I’d ever make in my life up to that point wouldn’t also be the biggest mistake I’ll ever make.

Then one day I get a message from one of my best friends, Adam. He tells me that he just checked out this university in Greensboro, N.C., the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

I remember him saying the facilities were great, it’s not a big campus but the sports teams are Division I, so UNCG was far from a small school.

Then he said the phrase that pretty much convinced me to apply.

“We can be roommates.”

Great thing about my friend, he knows how to have fun. So what better way to reintroduce myself to North Carolina life than to room with someone I know who is so outgoing that it would be criminal if I didn’t meet any new friends.

That freshmen year I did meet some cool people, but because I was homesick (can’t blame me, my family was an eight-hour flight away) I didn’t maximize on my fun.

Sophomore year? That was a blast. My second semester of sophomore year I met another great friend named Eric. We became roommates that year and stayed together for a few more years. Despite his accounting major, he knew how to take advantage of the college life.

With all of that being said, I have some advice for you graduates who are going off to college.

• Live on campus if you can. That’s how you meet new people. College is all about experiencing something different, cohabitating with those with completely different worldviews than you. It’s pretty hard to do all this while eating dinner or studying for a mid-term at home versus eating at the cafeteria or spending your time at the library or study room in the dorms.

• If you’re already living in the dorm, have an open-door policy. My roommate Eric had this tremendous idea of keeping the door open. It forced us to keep a clean room while also attracting others to come in to say hey. Met a lot of pretty cool friends through this open-door policy.

• You’re allowed to change your mind on a major. I started out school vying for a computer science major. Then I got cocky and added mathematics, thinking it would be easy to double major. A few failed classes later, I went down to a math minor and then dropped it altogether. Then finally I decided that computer science wasn’t for me, but I had enough credits to get a minor in it, so I stuck with the minor and changed my major to English. It took me six years from start to finish to get my bachelor’s degree but I am a much happier person now doing what I am doing than I was trying to get through computer science. If you’re not happy with your major, don’t feel stuck. Talk to some professors you trust. You’re not alone. They can help you decided what path to take. Which brings me to…

• Keep in contact with your professors. They have the answers. Remember, they are not your parents so they won’t hound you when it comes to getting homework done but know that if you need their help outside of class, they will spend time to do so. College professors spent most if not all of their educational career on that specific topic they are teaching. They aren’t high school coaches teaching World History because they need a class to teach. Their courses are very important to them and they are more than willing to help any student who asks for it.

• Make time for some fun. Your grades are important, I get it. You don’t want to fall into that academic probation trap. But also realize that college isn’t all about the books. As I said before, it’s about experiencing something different. I’ve been blessed to have lived in different places outside the country. There are those who I know who haven’t been outside of their respective state. Staying in your books or camping out at a library for most of your college life won’t do you any good in the real world. Yes. Study. But afterwards, go out and do something where you’re interacting with different kinds of people.

All in all, just have fun. You’ll learn to appreciate your time in college. I regret that freshman year of doing almost nothing because I missed home. But I made up for it the other years I’ve spent at UNCG. And now, not only am I doing what I love to do for a living, I’m happy. Being happy is important.

Before a parent yells at me, yes, get your work done. Turn in homework, try not to skip class, etc. But after the work, make time for some play. You’re not going to get these years back. So make it last. Enjoy college.