My Advice to the Class of 2011

Congratulations guys! You did it!
You made it through four years of high school and survived!

Now comes the real test.
Mom and Dad are (most likely) not going to be there to make you do your homework and make you study and make you go to bed at a reasonable hour.
There are going to be TONS more people where you're going.
There are going to be friends forgotten and new friends made.

So here's my advice from a 2010 graduate to the 2011 graduates:

Push yourself.

If possible, don't work your first semester. If you do, keep the hours to a minimum. You need to get used to college life and the homework load before you do anything drastic.

Hold back on the fatty foods.

Always get enough sleep the night before a test.

Stay away from the 8 in the morning classes.

Try not to steadily date someone your first semester. Believe me, this is the advice I wish I had followed.

Find a park close by. It's an excellent stress reliever.

Set up a budget.

Do your homework the day you get it. This is not high school! Late work is definitely frowned upon and you usually get docked. Like a lot.

Don't get in the habit of skipping class because you think it's not important.

Just because a class is a general doesn't mean it's going to be a piece of cake. The hardest class I've taken was a general history class.

Don't be the roommate who lets the dishes in the sink pile up to a Mount Everest look.

Put yourself out there. Make new friends.

Never hesitate to find an excuse to go home for the weekend. My mom wishes I went home more.

Stay in touch with old friends.

Start a journal. If for nothing else, just to write funny quotes and memories in.

Take lots of pictures.


The one thing that's going to come as the biggest shock I would say is that the people you once thought were cool...don't really matter anymore. You don't have to associate with them on a daily basis anymore. This is the time for you to find out who you TRULY are. Not who high school defined you as.
Live it up guys! College is going to be the best time of your life!