So you’ve decided to make a home for yourself at NIU. Wise decision.

Many unimaginable and amazing experiences await you. You are in the enviable position of having the most treasured times of your life lying ahead of you.

But you won’t experience half of them if you don’t allow yourself to spread your wings.

Think back to high school for a moment.

Aside from the abundance of caked-on makeup on girls and peach-fuzz on boys, there was a general mind-set that usually drove the students: Whoever you were, you never strayed far from that group of kids with whom you identified.

You were careful not to humiliate yourself. If you even thought about trying something new or hanging out with people who were different, most of the time, it was too risky a social gamble to attempt.

Congratulations, you are now free to drop the charade. Explore. Be free. Be whomever you wish to be.

If you see someone appearing lonely or lost, who might look a little different than you do, don’t hesitate to talk to them, or to lend them a helping hand.

That group you were thinking about joining but weren’t sure about? Join it.

The unassuming group of kids sitting at the table in the cafeteria? Take a chance and grab a seat next to them.

A wonderful idea is to make an effort to rub elbows with other people in your classes. Hey, a great excuse for picking up a phone number is the always-worthy cause of a much-needed study date for that big exam.

The key is to get yourself involved as much as possible. The beauty of the college experience is that you truly no longer need to agonize over how not to humiliate yourself or how to fit in. The ability to laugh at yourself can be an endearing quality.

You can repaint your image or reshape your identity, because you have been given a clean slate. This is an opportunity that must be taken advantage of.

Remember that no matter how lost, lonely, embarrassed or unsure you may feel, everyone else is going through or has gone through those same feelings. For all students who are newly embracing the NIU experience, humility is a common occurrence. Now is the time that perhaps the most essential character traits are developed.

If you don’t learn to laugh at yourself now, your transition will be that much more difficult in times ahead.

The most important advice that can be given to anyone making the transition to NIU is to relieve yourself of your inhibitions. Note that by this I do not mean experiment and free your mind, I simply mean be open to new people and new situations. Let yourself get involved in activities and events that before wouldn’t necessarily fit into “the cool thing to do.”

The benefit of doing so may be gaining the most rewarding relationships and treasured memories of your entire college career.

Aacia Hussain