Dear College Freshman:

Here are a few things I wish I had known when I started at UGA. Please read and commit to memory.

1. You will never be this young and beautiful again. Be sure to take full advantage of that.

2. Be careful of the munchies, late night pizza ordering, and all you can eat cafeteria food. There is a reason they call it the "Freshman 15", and it is much harder to lose than it is to gain. In that same vein, don't get all eating disordery about it, either. If you think you have one, you probably do. See a counselor. They are usually free at your school's clinic.

3. Never walk alone around campus at night. If you need someone to walk with you somewhere, call a friend or campus security.

4. If you are attached to your computer/notebooks/textbooks/articles of clothing/jewelry/ et al, do not lend them to others. There is a high probability you will not see them again.

5. Study abroad for at least a semester. It will change your life. In a good way. In the best way. Don't worry about the parties/games/events/friends/members of the oppposite sex you will miss while you are gone. They are no match for Study Abroad parties/events/friends/members of the opposite sex/becoming a more interesting and better citizen/traveling/living in another country for super cheap experiences. Your friends who tell you otherwise are losers.

6. As difficult as it may become, be as nice as possible to your thought they were cool at first, but now are annoying asses roommate(s). There is nothing worse than living with someone in cramped quarters when you hate someone and/or they hate you.

7. Be aware that if you apply for a credit card in order to get some craptacular free t-shirt, they will send you a credit card with a stupid high interest rate. Also be aware that if you use said credit card, you have to pay the bill.

8. Long distance relationships suck the life out of your college experience. If at all possible, do not participate in them.

9. Keep up with your reading for classes from day one. Study a little bit every day. It is much easier to start out with a high grade in a class than it is to pull up a low one late in the semester.

10. Always use a condom. The guy who says he doesn't have any will find one at an amazing rate of speed if you refuse to do it without one.

11. Never ever get into a car with a driver who has been drinking. Just don't. You know why.

12. Do not allow any pictures of you to be taken in any state of undress. They will end up on the internet, specifically when you graduate and are looking for a job, or when you are running for office.

13. Participate in as many extra-curricular activities as you can handle. Your resume will be well padded, and you will meet a ridiculous amount of different types of people that way.

14. Drink a glass of water in between each alcoholic drink. Your liver and your head will thank you the next day. It also assists in keeping the "WTF was I thinking" moments the next morning/day/week to a minimum. (It's odd how they come filtering through even days later, for a whole 'nother round of self-loathing.) Don't worry, you can still enjoy a nice buzz when you practice this technique, and you and all of your friends will appreciate your refraining from becoming knee-walking drunk on a regular basis.

15. You will miss your family more than you thought you would or care to admit. Call them and tell them that.

With love from your not that much older, but much wiser pal, TPO