Hello, freshmen. You’ve survived your first month of college. As you celebrate Freshman Follies, we want to give you a list of follies you shouldn’t do this year. These are all things we upperclassmen have experienced, and we want you to learn from our mistakes. 

Don’t wait to get your Chapel credits. If you go everyday for the first half of the semester, you’ll have plenty of time to relax at the end of the semester when finals and projects kick into high gear. Unless you have exemptions, you have to get all 55 credits or you’ll be put on Chapel probation and that means no Sing Song or intramurals in the spring. 

Switch your major sooner rather than later. There’s no better time to change your major than freshman year, when you’re mostly taking general required courses that can carry over into another major if you switch. 

Put cookies from the Bean in your backpack. You won’t regret it. 

While you’re collecting cookies, pace yourself on Chick-Fil-A and save those Bean Bucks for coffee during finals week. You’ll save money and your thunder thighs will thank you.

You don’t really need all the free shirts. If you take them all freshman year, you’re not going to have room in your drawers when you get those social club shirts.

Go to as many school events as you can. School spirit and free food aren’t going to come your way often in the working world, so take advantage of every opportunity. 

Don’t text and walk on the Quad. It ends badly. 

Enjoy that freshman 4.0 while it lasts. It’s only going to get harder.

Don’t walk through the GATA Fountain just because your friends dare you to – you’ll stink for days. 

Don’t pet the cats. They’re staging a revolt, and you’re enabling them. Oh, and let the crickets be, too. They’ll be gone by the end of the month. If you kill one, more will come, so it’s better to just leave them alone. 

If a friendship matters to you, put effort into developing it. You may look around and wonder how so many people seem to have made their best friends during Wildcat Week. Maybe it didn’t happen that fast for you, and that’s OK. The truth is, lasting friendships take time and effort so don’t worry if you haven’t met your best man/bridesmaids/your children’s future godparents yet. 

Keep God at the forefront, others next, and yourself last. 

Don’t ever think you can’t do something. Chances are you can and will.