Dear Freshman:

 Try to pay close attention when reading paragraphs like this. Professors will want you to read throughout their class, and honestly, you should. Usually it doesn’t happen though. I know. it seems like paragraphs just keep going on and on and as you keep reading you start thinking about other things like how freezing it is in here and what you’re going to do with your life. Then you’ll start getting all philosophical and this… what does life mean? Why is it so short? If there was no galaxy, what would there be? Is our galaxy really inside of a marble being played with by alien children like in ‘Men and Black’? Oh my god a new series of BoJack horseman was released on Netflix!

 That is human thought processing and a rough estimate of how quickly your college days will go by. It’s very easy to get distracted and trail off, but I’m sure you each already knew that from your high school days.

 Take some advice young grasshoppers, life is different now:

 *   First thing’s first, be yourself. Then be better than that, because, come on. You can do better.

 * Forks are in the middle.

 * Just ask someone for directions. You may think it will make you look stupid, but not as stupid as walking past the same people on the pedestrian three times because you thought the Math & Physics Building was Nursing and Chemistry. Only to eventually realize that you actually were supposed to be in Math & Physics in the first place.

 *   Yes there are ducks. They will hiss. Show some respect, they have more pull at this school than you do at the moment. Say hi to Afroduck and follow his twitter account @GSU_AfroDuck.

 *   Don’t overthink everything. No one else knows what they’re doing either, we’re Eagles, just wing it.

 *  Try something new. You can’t know you dislike something until you try it. And then you’ll probably dislike it.

 *   Choose your friends and significant others wisely.

 *   Listen to your parents. You may want to be super independent, but your parents can probably save you a lot of time and unnecessary embarrassment.

 *   Lanyards. Listen we know it was super cool in high school to show off the keys to the new Range Rover daddy just bought you, on your equally super cool lanyard. But this isn’t high school, you’re an adult who should be able to keep track of their keys without them needing to be constantly tethered to your neck like some kind of animal.

 *   Fight fire with water. Just because you dislike someone doesn’t mean you can’t be civil.

 *   Nothing is ever free, but enjoy the unlimited AC, water and electricity. Now I’m not telling you to keep all your lights on and the water running 24/7. But then again there’s really no reason not to.

 *   Take bad situations and learn from them. 85% of college is learning what NOT to do

Perhaps the best advice to give would be that everything happens for a reason. You are here to learn things, and I would actually place academics near the bottom of that list. They are still very important and will set the stage for the next chapter of your life, but you are here learning how to live your own life. You no longer wear Pampers. Now is the time to learn how to make your own decisions and how to mess up every now and then. You will be sad, angry, and frustrated during these years, but you will also be extremely happy. Even by the time you’re a Junior, you’ll think about all of the things you’ve done and how far you’ve come. Ask any parent; college is the best time of your life. Live it well and most of all, learn how to find the true YOU.

 “True Blue, True You”

What are some unspoken GSU rules you think every student should know? Tweet us your responses @TheGeorgeAnne and we just may showcase your reply in the next edition!