Words of Wisdom as You Leave for College

Dear College-Bound Freshmen,

Because I’m somewhat certain that whatever words your own parents may impart regarding your impending departure will be met with eye rolls, slammed doors, or worse, I’ll go ahead and do it for them. Keep in mind that I do realize that you’ve got this and that nothing anyone (least of all someone of a rapidly aging generation) could possibly say would ever begin to change the course of your life.  

But, still.

I can’t resist sneaking my words of wisdom inside your Bed, Bath and Beyond comforter set and hoping they’ll sink in as you sleep soundlessly upon your new Tempur-Pedic pillow.

It’s been more years than I can count since I left the bosom of my happy home for the open canvas of a college campus. But don’t think for a minute that I’ve forgotten the exhilarating feelings of hope, joy, excitement, enthusiasm, eagerness and boundless opportunity.

Nor have I forgotten the overwhelming pangs of panic, fear, uncertainty and anxiety. Or that ever- growing pit in the bottom of my stomach that radiated to the pulse of my heart and the depths of my soul with every approaching day.

That summer before I left for college I was mean to my parents. I lashed out at my siblings. And I spent a minimum of 20 hours a day with my high school cronies. Because I knew for sure that never in a million beers would I find a new set of friends who would understand me, love me and put up with me as my hometown homies had. And so, I had to pack as much fun and friendship into a summer as I possibly could.

I was the third child in three years to leave my parents’ nest and I got what my older sisters left behind. My bedspread was a pink woven thing with some blue and white threaded accents that conflicted horribly with my freshman roommate’s Holly Hobbied comforter. You know, the little girls in patchwork dresses with the big bonnets on their heads holding sprigs of wildflowers. Those Holly Hobbies.

There were no matching sheets or in-room television sets or pink plastic hangers. There were no Rubbermaid containers or rolling suitcases. We collected boxes from the local liquor store to transport our personal items and stole milk crates from behind the WaWa to store our record albums. We carried our toiletries to the common bathroom in gallon-sized paint pails. We didn’t have microwaves but rather electric popcorn poppers and hot plates on which we heated up mugs of Lipton-Cup-a-Soup.

When I left for college freshman year, we loaded up the family station wagon. What didn’t fit didn’t go. Nothing got tied to the roof, tugged from the trunk or shipped from the post office. We pulled up in front of Harley Hall, made our ten trips in and out of the dorm, my father sighing heavily with each box he dropped on my floor. My parents hugged me goodbye. And they left. I made my own bed. Put my own clothes away. And began my own life.

There were no cell phones so we wrote letters. Lots of letters. My parents called me once a year on my birthday, dialing in to the pay phone at the end of the hall. One year I got two calls, only because the death of my grandmother warranted quicker communication than the US mail would bring. When winter break came along, if we weren’t successful with the Ride Board in the Student Center, we would take a Trailways bus home, even if it added three hours to a two-hour drive. Or hitchhike.

I know, I know, your eyes are beginning to glaze over. This isn’t your life.  It’s mine. But I tell you these things not so much as a “When I was your age, …” kind of tale, but rather to point out that certain life lessons transcend the test of time.

I know every person is different. Every circumstance is unique. And every school has its own vibe. But, I can’t help but wonder just how my life would have panned out if I had known then what I know now and had followed some wise old woman’s advice instead of insisting on blazing my own trail.

So, here goes. 30 timeless tips for the college-bound:

1. Don’t play baseball.
   If you don’t love it anymore, don’t play. Don’t run. Don’t ski. Don’t pluck the cello. Don’t join the debate team. And don’t major in theater. Just because you’ve done something your whole life doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it. Now is the time to think about the whys behind the whats and figure out if you’re doing it for yourself or because it is expected of you.
2.  Kiss the fat boy, not the frat boy.
   While the world has turned out thousands of upstanding fraternity brothers, don’t limit yourself to those who rank. Look beyond the coke bottle glasses, the Wrangler jeans, the unbranded sneakers and get to know people for who they are, not what they represent to the high school version of yourself.
3. Eat pizza at midnight.
   And ice cream for breakfast. Just because you can. But keep in mind that the freshman 15 is rectifiable. The subsequent sophomore, junior and senior 15 are harder to shed. 
4. Leave your car at home.
   Do you really want to be the designated driver for the next four years? God created Uber for a reason.
5. Call your mother.
   Humor her as she asks if you’re studying hard. If you’ve made any friends. If you miss her. Just say yes. It’s easier that way.
6. Pull lots of all-nighters.
   Drink copious amounts of Red Bull so you can finish that paper and go to the Kendrick Lamar concert. Because a good education is well-rounded. 
7. Give it the old college try.
   Whether you chose this school or it chose you, if it’s not a good fit, it doesn’t have to be your final destination. Keep your options open (which means keep your grades up), and think about transferring somewhere better suited to your hopes, dreams and reality.
8. Be color blind.
   Experience different cultures. Learn different languages. Love different people. 
9. Change your major.
   Stop worrying about disappointing your grandmother. If you want to study philosophy instead of going pre-med, do it. You’ll get a job, eventually. I promise.
10. Don't ask for money.
    Call home to say hello. I love you. I need your advice. But, don’t ask for money. Get a job if you’ve blown your budget by October 1^st. You may be used to getting anything you ever asked for, but it’s time to stop expecting your parents to bail you out. 
11. Do something alone.
    College flocks are fun, but you also need to spend quality time with someone more important. Yourself. 
12.  Never take a Thursday night class. 
13.  Talk to strangers.
    Every friend was once a stranger. 
14. Call her in the morning.|
    Don’t be that guy. Be respectful. Be kind. Make your mama proud. 
15. Protect yourself.
    Never, ever, until you are married, and maybe not even then, have sex without a condom. Parenting should be a privilege, not a problem. 
16.  Overdrink. Understudy. And stay up too late.
    You’re going to do it anyway, so permission granted.
17. Do your laundry.
    The smell of your own sweat may be sweet to you, but the ripe scent of three-weeks-worn jeans will turn up a lot of noses. And don’t bring home a suitcase full of dirty clothes at Thanksgiving. Contrary to popular belief, your mom really doesn’t want to do it.
18. Get involved.
    There are dozens, if not hundreds, of extra-curricular things to do in college. Be the geek you’ve always wanted to be. Check out the computer club, the animation club, the badminton club. You might find a passion you’ve been missing your whole life long.
19. Take care of your friends.
    Don’t leave them to fend for themselves when they’ve drunken themselves into a stupor. Be there to hold their hair and their car keys when they puke and don’t tell them the stupid things they said the next morning. 
20. Be brave.
    Do one thing every day that makes you feel uncomfortable. 
21. Don't go into college looking for a spouse.
    Love comes along when it’s good and ready. And if you graduate without ever having had a college sweetheart, it doesn’t mean you’re going to be alone for the rest of your life.
22. Live in a hovel.
    There’s plenty of time to live the high life. College is not one of those times. Everyone should have the experience of swatting swarming cockroaches.
23. Take notes.
    Not in class, in life. Jot down how you feel, what you’re thinking, who you’re hanging out with and what you’re doing. Who knows, you may become famous and the world will want to know what made you tick and what ticked you off in college.
24.  Be loud and proud.
    Wear the school hoodie, go to the football games, embrace school spirit and be proud of where you go, even if it wasn’t your first choice. 
25.  Introduce your parents to Venmo.
    You may be surprised how easily a mom or dad can click that PAY button and how much fun they’ll have adding their stupid little emojis.
26. Don't go home on weekends.
    You can’t find fun on a college campus from hometown USA. And trust me, your parents don’t miss you that much.
27. Don't take it so seriously.
    Just have fun. Never again, unless you age out in an over-55 community, will you be in one place with so many people your own age. Savor every minute. Grab every opportunity. And make the most of the most overpriced experience of your life. 
28. Don’t get a credit card.
    Sure, you can have everything you want for $25 a month. Until, of course, it becomes everything you want for $250 a month. Those minimum payments don’t go away. Forget worrying about building credit. Build your bank account instead. 
29. Be resilient.
    Losing your fake ID is nothing compared to the real-life losses your future will bring. Toughen up now so when you lose a spouse, a job or a house, you’ll be able to cope.
30. Don’t drop out.
    Or flunk out. Or party out. Or peter out. Just graduate.

And now, go. Leave your happy homes and have yourself some fun. Find out who you are. What you want to be. And how you want to live your life. And while you're doing that, remember to be kind. Always, always be kind.