Forget everything you’ve heard about life at college – you are there now, which means that you are almost ‘all grown up’ so it’s time that you learned the truth.  This is the stuff that nobody wants to be upfront about when it comes to life at college.  So here it is, 7 secrets of campus life, learned from the best training ground ever: the school of hard knocks.

• Marks don’t matter.  Now we tell you!  We’re not telling you to forget about grades, we’re just saying that they matter so little out there in the real world, that it’s almost a disconnect spending the first twenty years of your life striving for them, and the next sixty wondering what that was all about.
• Don’t marry your college sweetheart.  Sure you love them (or think you do) but while many of your stakeholders may want to see you buckle into security as soon as possible, they may neglect to tell you this.  Most people change significantly in their late twenties and early thirties.  Really, how will you feel when that organic shift happens and you’re stuck with someone from your past?
• It does matter what college you attend.  Get out there into the big bad word and start throwing the words “Yale” or “Oxford” around and see how fast doors open for you.  Admit that you spent four years at (fill in the blank) and watch the doors slam shut.
• These are some of the best years of your life.  Sure you want to party and why not?  Enjoy your youth and freedom while you have it.  It is shockingly fleeting.  One day soon you will look in the mirror and ask yourself what happened…
• Choose your new friends carefully. Some of these people may be in your circle for the rest of your life.  Allow the beer, smoke and pheromones to clear before consciously selecting who to bond with.
• Be gentle with yourself.  College is a big step, not only in your education and future, but in your socialization and maturity.  Be nice to yourself, even when you are a puking jackass.
• Don’t waste too much time.  Everyone will tell you that you have lots of time!  Spoiler alert: you don’t.  None of us have a lot of time.  Every phase of our life whizzes by in the blink of an eye.  So enjoy the r and r, and do your best in your courses, just stay aware of the bigger picture: life is short.