Among the 199 pointers for college success found in Frog’s Guide, here are a few to ponder: Respect your ART. Whatever you do, attempt to be excellent at it. Envision the life you want and make it exceptional. Remember how small you are…Be humble. Respect all creatures in this universe. Don’t ever feel locked in once you make a decision. Changing majors, boyfriends and girlfriends, and careers is a part of life. Continually ask yourself, “Am I 100% happy?” If not, reassess. Use all your senses to experience the world. Open your eyes to the sights around you, smell warm bread before you taste it, taste everything once, hear the music of the street, touch things to discover whether they are coarse or smooth. Clean your dorm room before your mom visits. This will balance out for the times she pays you a surprise visit and it looks “lived in.” Spend time each day finding your center. Listen to your heart beat, feel your chest rise and fall as you breathe. Block out the noise and connect with your own natural rhythm. If you are a caffeine addict, buy your own beans and a cheap electric grinder and a French press. The coffee will taste better and you will save a fortune versus daily trips to Starbucks. Dance and sing out loud whenever you can, except in class. Teachers don’t generally like such interruptions (unless you’re in a dancing or singing class). Especially as a freshman, approach schoolwork like a full time gig. Go to class, then go to the library. Read ahead for each class. Studies show up to an hour per day on the Internet makes people happy, more than an hour per day makes them anxious. Don’t live in the virtual world. Live in the real world where people look each other in the eye and talk. On clear nights take a minute to look out your window or go for a walk to check out the stars. It will remind you of what an amazing universe we are part of, and how small you are and how fragile the gift of life is. Find someone you really like and star gaze with them. Some things in life are better when shared. Forget about high school at least in terms of all the icky parts you experienced. College is a blank slate. You get to start over and be whoever you want to be. Check out live bands. If your ears are ringing a bit in the morning, you probably had a good time. Don’t sit too close to the speakers, unless you are trying to avoid that person in the bar who you really don’t want to talk to. Then if they approach you, just point to your ears and raise your hands in the air as though you can’t hear a word they are saying. Be passionate about things but compassionate about others. You will meet meat-eaters, vegetarians, vegans, atheists, Muslims and anarchists. Like picking a meal off a menu, try to sample the broad range of people you meet in college. Kindergarten teachers already gave you the perfect plan for success in college- SHARE, SAY PLEASE AND THANK YOU, TAKE NAPS, HAVE COOKIES FOR SNACK, PAY ATTENTION, and HAVE FUN. The rest takes care of itself.
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