“Beep, beep, beep, ugh!” is how most upperclassman started Monday. Freshmen, however, had that mixture of excitement and nervousness that made them standout from the droned masses.

Personally speaking, it is nice to be back in class, but my enthusiasm has diminished. I already have a good number of friends, and with the amount of work I have ahead of me this final year, I doubt I have the time to make too many more. I already am involved in organizations and extracurricular activities, so there is really nothing left for me to explore. This year is going to be a bore.

Freshmen, I know you will have a lot of people tell you how to succeed in college, and you should listen to those words of wisdom. Most elders, however, will forget or purposely omit the most important piece of advice, which is to pace your college life.

Pacing yourself is good because it means that for now, you can slack off. As freshman, you do not have 30-page research papers due or cumulative finals, so go out and party. If you were smart enough to get into college, then you are smart enough to get As or Bs in your freshman classes by just going to class. The main goal of your freshman year should be to get an A in Social Life 101.

How you get an A in Social Life 101 is by making friends and becoming active on campus. Friends are easy to come by. You live in a dorm with thousands of people, and by going to class, you meet hundreds more. If you have trouble talking with strangers, the easiest way to ease that discomfort is to go to class early and start a conversation with the one or two people who are waiting next to you in the hall. Conversations about each other’s majors and backgrounds are not hard to turn into a study session at the library or a hamburger at McDonald’s.

Besides meeting other freshmen, an A in Social Life 101 requires you to get to know your upperclassmen as well. Upperclassmen are very informative. Not only can they inform you of which professors to take and which to avoid, but they can also help you navigate the city. Navigating the city is of utmost importance to you, freshmen, because a trip to Judicial Affairs automatically lowers your Social Life 101 grade down a letter. The best places to meet upperclassmen are in clubs and organizations. Pick one or two that interest you and become active.

Social Life 101 is only for freshmen. Granted, your sophomore year is not that academically challenging, but use that for a better purpose: loading up on classes so you will not need to take soul-crushing credit hours your junior and senior years.

Pacing yourself means you know when to party and when to study. Have a great year and go raise the roof.