I am graduating in exactly 24 days (!), so I am extremely, extremely qualified to give advice on what you should all do and learn at Colgate (read: take this all with a grain of salt). I have spent a grand total of eight semesters on this campus, and while there were certainly days I wished I were anywhere else, I think being on such a small campus in a small town really forced me to come to some realizations about myself and my future.

So, enough for that sappiness. Here’s my advice:

1. Learn how to handle your vices.Everyone needs something to counteract stress, may it be with food, liquor, exercise, etc. And college is the time during which there is less

responsibility, allowing the opportunity to figure out the ways to deal with future stresses and problems. This involves learning how much you can handle without negative effects, because a bona fide adult who can’t hold their liquor is only cute at a bachelorette party.

2. Take at least one class just because you want to.Because who knows when a dashing Italian with limited English might want to sweep you of your feet, proving Elementary

Italian completely useful and endearing?

3. Do not judge your self-worth on arbitrary indicators, including, but not limited to, grades, internships, job opportunities, etc. because they are really just not so important. (I won’t

elaborate on this because I refuse to – God forbid – be cheesier than needed.)

4. Find people around whom you genuinely enjoying being. These are not necessarily the people who seem fun and rowdy or who could bring you something in the future. Although they might be. Whatever floats your boat. Just find people you actually like and put the effort in with them.

5. Appreciate your family. In high school, I spent as much time in my room as humanely possible. It took coming to Colgate to realize how much I enjoyed and missed my family, even my younger brother and sister whom I found so supremely irritating. It’s true that they’re the only people that will be consistent throughout your life, so it’s worth actually appreciating them.

6. Figure out what you genuinely enjoy doing, and take the time to do it. For me, I found myself as a first-year in Frank reading/doing the crossword in the New York Times everyday during time I had planned to do work or hang out with my friends, so I realized it was a priority I wanted to keep in the future. I also learned I will need to be setting aside a separate fund for a Netflix subscription, so that’s great for my financial future.

7. Spend time abroad. I didn’t have time to take off a semester, so I spent a summer instead in Paris. There are so many interesting cultures, people and things to discover, and there is no substitution to exploring them yourselves. It’s so worth getting to know a different culture and I really think it’s a crucial part of a college education – even if it makes you realize you never want to leave the U.S. again.

8. Lastly, enjoy yourself. I don’t care what you do, when you do it or with whom. Just have fun. I guarantee the working world will not be as much fun as Colgate. Enjoy it while you can.

That’s all for me. Good luck to the underclassmen, and seniors, see you all at graduation – I’ll be the girl refusing to take my sunglasses off while not-so-subtly drinking from a flask (and hope you all do the same).

Contact Selina Koller at [email protected].