College Advice to My 17 Year Old Self

It's that time again. When thousands of bright-eyed, excited, nervous, and overwhelmed kid head-off for their Freshman year of college.

Not to long ago I wrote a post entitled ‘Career Advice for My 21 Year-Old Self’ -?a list of 84 bits of advice based on 30 years of post-graduation experience.?With the new school year kicking off, it occurred to me that before you can graduate from college, you have to go to college, and perhaps nothing is more stressful to a teenager than leaving the nest to begin a new life in college.?It got me thinking about what advice I’d give to my 17 year-old self as I headed off to college for the first time.?Like my previous post, this is random and assembled very quickly. I’d love to hear everyone else’s advice because, honestly, my 17 year-old self is not gonna listen to my older, more grizzled self.

And now, in no particular order...

1.?????This is a little late but the best time to prepare for college is your senior year of high school.?Learn how to do normal tasks like laundry, paying bills, maintaining your car, keeping you room clean. You know, all those little things your parents have been doing for you all these years that you barely noticed. The first class in college is ‘Life 101’ and can be long, boring, and tedious at times. Get used to it.

2.?????Do not get a credit card at one of those kiosks that give you a beer koozie for signing up.?Work with your parents on getting a card with a very limited credit line.?College can be a place to build good credit. It can also be a place to build bad credit.?Let you parents help you with that.

3.?????Once you get your credit card, don’t use your credit card. Actually, use it sparingly on predetermined items that your parents agree with. Aside from that no touchy-touchy. It's not free money and it adds up quickly.

4.?????If you lend someone anything, assume you’ll never see it again.?I’m still trying to find who has my Billy Idol cassette tape from 1983.

5.?????Never open a tab at a bar. Never.

6.?????Keep an exercise regime. The Freshman 15 is real. Don’t be a victim

7.?????Work your ass of your first semester. It will set the tone for your entire college career.

8.?????Wash your sheets once in a while.

9.?????Don’t be the person that says yes when someone is looking for a buddy to hit the bars. Be the person people are happy and surprised to see when you do go out.

10.??Sunday through Thursday: Heads down in the books. Friday and Saturday: Have some fun.

11.??Take interesting electives. You probably have no idea what you want to be when you grow up. The whole purpose of college is to help you find your path. I took curling, pop culture, astronomy, guitar, logic, and human sexuality as some of my electives. I still do some of those things today. I’ll let you guess which those things are.

12.??Call your Mom at least once a week. She misses you horribly and you miss her too.

13.??Get good at scheduling and prioritization. There no glory in pulling an all-nighter to finish the report you left to the last minute.

14.??Talk to your profs early and often.?They want you to be successful and will help the students they become familiar with more than the ones who show up the last week of class begging for a grade.?

15.??Go to every class. EVERY CLASS.?Lectures, study sessions. Review periods. No exceptions.?You’re a student. This is your job now.

16.??Take advantage of everything college has to offer. Join a club. Go to a game. See a play or exhibition, explore every building. You’ll regret not doing this after you graduate.

17.??Speaking of graduation. College can and should be completed in 4 years.?If you think 16 hours of classes a week?is rough, try 40 hours a week working for a living.

18.??Network, network, network.?It’s not what you know, it's who you know. Start building those networks early.?Fellow students, administration, alumni, professors.?A big network might be your most valuable asset when you graduate.

19.??The roommate thing can be tough.?Be reasonable, thoughtful, and tolerant. But after your first semester if there is a serious conflict, talk to the school and find a new roommate.

20.??Join Greek life if it appeals to you. But if the hazing gets dangerous or stupid - GET OUT!!!

21.??If you stay with Greek Life, don’t haze the new guy just because you’ve always done it. Break that tradition bullshit.?have them build something, clean up highway, or volunteer somewhere. Making them guzzle alcohol is no way to treat a "brother" or "sister".

22.??“Walk away from trouble if you can” – Kenny Rogers

23.??Get a job.?Working your way through school is part of your education. It’ll teach you responsibility, dealing with people, learning new skills and will even put a little money in your pocket.?

24.??Every job, no matter what it is, will teach you something. Worry less about what it is and more about the lessons you are learning.

25.??Everyone has their “Oh shit, I can’t do this anymore” moments in college.?Stop. Take a breath. Go for a run.?It will get better.?I promise you.

26.??Of course you don’t know what you want to do when you graduate. That’s ok. I’m on the 14th hole of life and I’m still not sure what I want to do when I grow up. If you do at least some of the things on this list everything always works itself out (also see #11).

27.??Put your phone away during class. You can’t learn and monitor your Instagram feed at the same time.

28.??Speaking of which. Remember that everything you post will be seen by a potential employer.?When I am hiring, the first thing I do is hunt you down on social media. Goofy fun is cool. Racism, sexism, intolerance, persistent drunkenness, and nudity is not cool.

29.??Find a quiet place to do your work and stay there until your work is done. That place is not your dorm. For me it was on the 6th floor of the library. Nobody bothers you on the 6th floor of the library.

30.??Did I mention that you should call your Mom?

31.??You probably don’t need a car your Freshman year. If you do take one, don’t become the designated Uber guy, and do not, I repeat, DO NOT ever take your car to the bar. EVER.

32.??Buying new books is for suckers. Wait until your first class to find out what you need and then buy used books or rent them.

33.??Watch what you eat. Mix in a vegetable now and again.

34.??Nothing good ever happens after 2am. Go home.

35.??Try to get some sleep.

36.??Don’t steal your roommate’s food, supplies, or girlfriends.

37.??Buy your Mom and Dad a school shirt. They are proud of you and want people to ask them where you are studying.

38.??Call you Mom and ask her what size she wears.?It doesn’t matter what size she wears, she just will be happy to hear from you.

39.??No matter what, just keep putting one foot in front of the other.?Persistence pays off.?

40. ChatGPT. I don't know what to tell you. Some will call it cheating. But they also thought using a calculator was "cheating" in my day. I'll call it progress and an essential skill to develop. So have at it.

So, what did I miss? Any other advice form those who've been there?