Advice I Wish You’d Give Me

Don’t get involved in drama. Just don’t. Comfort people when they need it; support your friends when they face real obstacles in their lives. But don’t let yourself get caught in the middle of meaningless squabbles like you so often do, because you need all the energy you can spare and after all, they’re adults now. Your friends can work things out themselves.

Exercise. Push yourself. Make it about more than weight loss, about more than the fact that you’ll have to calculate your percent body fat in your kinesiology class and you really don’t want all the hot water polo players to notice your love handles. Working out makes you feel good, and it’ll help you sleep at night. Trust the fact that sweat is a positive part of your life.

Branch out from your core group. Don’t neglect your best friends, but always be open to the idea of making new ones. This is one of the only times in your life when you’ll be surrounded by like-minded, friendly people who are going through exactly the same stuff you are. Take advantage of all the potential BFFs around you. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

Make time for what you love, and forget about the rest. Having a billion extracurriculars on your resume is overrated, and after all, future employers will be more excited about a job applicant who has pursued their passion than one who was vastly overextended during their college years.

In the same vein, know that everyone is different. Some people can handle having a lot on their plate — some people live for late nights, early mornings, and being constantly on the move. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you are not one of those people. Realize that there’s only so much of yourself that you can give, and there are only so many hours you can spend being “on” before you want to lay on the bathroom floor and never get up.

Stay on top of your schoolwork, but don’t forget to stay on top of being a happy person. Have fun. Soak in the interesting material in your classes; wade through the not-so-interesting material by doing your readings and going out with your friends at night. Covertly fall in love with that one genius professor who is just a few years too old for you. Think a lot, but don’t think too much.

And don’t forget to like yourself, at least in secret.