Things That I Will Walk Away From College Knowing

1. Some mistakes you make early on in your undergraduate career will haunt you for the next four years.
2. Schoolwork/studying/stress does NOT dictate your life. Happiness does. So find what makes you happy and DO IT. And who knew, I love nursing!
3. Liquor before beer, you're in the clear.
4. Capture every moment you can in any way that will allow it to live on forever in your memory, through writing, poetry, music, etc. My medium happens to be photos. Can you tell?
5. The mistakes you make early on in your undergraduate career do NOT have to haunt you for the rest of your life.
6. Beer before liquor, you get super sicker.
7. You may end up falling in love with the person you least expected yourself to ever be with.
8. Explore and take advantage of every opportunity to see the world, even if it's just crossing the Hudson River.
9. Even though sometimes you feel like you're completely and utterly alone in your problems, there is ALWAYS someone, a close friend, a significant other that will be there for you. You just have to open your mouth and ask for help.
10. Never give up the things you love to do, even if it might not fit into your "ideal" schedule.
11. Discover yourself. Break out of your shell. Stand out. No one decides who you are or what you are capable of but yourself.
12. Saving money goes a long way, especially when you're aiming to go on that tropical vacation when you graduate and find yourself with holes in your pocket.
13. One day a week, if you have the time, spend it with your friends doing things you actually enjoy doing together. In my case, it's been 4 years of 'Grey's Anatomy' and pigging out on someone's floor/carpet/futon in the middle of the night.
14. Talking to your real best friends will always feel like a continuation of a years-long conversation, even if there were months in between where you didn't talk at all.
15. It's never too soon to plan ahead. You can't dink around all four years of college and expect the perfect dream job to be handed to you on a silver platter. You get what you earn.
16. BUY AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE.
17. Don't be afraid to try new things or meet new people.
18. Don't be afraid to let loose once in a while and have fun! The best and funniest stories are told years later (when you can finally laugh about it) remembering nights like those!
19. The freshman 15 DOES exist. In my case, the freshman 20.
20. Work hard, play hard. It's all about finding the right balance between the two.

and finally ...

Don't grow up so fast that you miss what college really is ...

... the best years of your life.

To the Class of 2009. AWOOHOO!