I spent most of yesterday cleaning my apartment and packing some of the things I've collected over the last four years. "I hope they all had a good time at prom last night," I said to my roommate from beneath a pile of fuzzy slippers and sweaters that should have been taken home weeks ago. I then started to think about how exciting (and scary!) your next few months will be. On your own for the first time, forced to make decisions you've never had to make before. You'll be meeting people that will make huge impacts on your lives, in both positive and negative ways, and people you will think were insignificant but were actually quite the contrary. You will get to decide if/when you go to class, what you'll have for dinner each night, and just how many times you can wear, then Febreeze, those jeans before washing them is aaaabsolutely necessary. I wouldn't know anything about that last one...

I wondered what I would want to know, if I had to do this all over again. I thought maybe this list of helpful hints might be beneficial to you as well :)

1. Join every club you can...you'll be tired, but you will be thankful you did it later!

2. Go to class! The alarm goes off...you snuggle up with your stuffed otter, telling yourself that it's not a huge deal if you miss just one more class. It's tempting to sleep in, especially in the winter, but when the semester is ending you won't be the guy pleading for mercy from the professor.

3. Ben, Dr. Roberts (an English professor) cancels class often ;) keep this in mind when scheduling time sneaks up on you

4. Enjoy the convenience of the fast food, but only now and then. Freshman 15 is NOT a joke!

5. Take advantage of the library, computer labs, rec centers, etc. Might as well use what you're paying for!

6. Ben, living in Reinhard is convenient but, they charge you TOO much money and when you're looking at student loans you'll wish you hadn't chosen the Hilton of Clarion. There are plenty of other great places to live, that won't make you get rid of your hamsters! Okay, that's just me being bitter, but still!

7. Liz, sorry I keep aiming some of these at Ben...but I know zilch about Point Park :)

8. Hey Liz...I'd be afraid of moving to Pittsburgh too!

9. Hey Liz....you looked stunning at prom! (is this making up for my lack of previous posts?)

10. Even if you choose to stay in the same dorm/apartment for your entire experience....clean out after each school year! I'm going to need 3 U-hauls to get home!

11. In the beginning, you'll want to come home every weekend. In the end, you won't want to leave.

12. Ration your money...I've been doing this for four years and I'm STILL completely broke by the end of each year. Easier said than done, I know.

13. Don't panic!

14. Sorry for not posting before :(

Well, that's all I have for now...but I'm sure my next 3 days of packing will bring more wisdom than you ever wanted to hear :)