Mention college to anyone who has graduated, and that person will most likely tell you it was the best time they ever had.

After that, the person will tell you to appreciate college life while it lasts.

A friend of mine hit the nail on the head when he said that the next time I would be able to be around people my age 24 hours a day, seven days a week would be in the old-age home.

Depressing, yes, but it gets one thinking.

What am I getting at?

Possibly the most important message I could ever write: College has the potential to be the best time of our lives, and we are obligated to make it so.

I remember when my middle school math teacher said that college was just one step below a country club.

That really isn’t the case for everyone, but he was close to the truth. There is the whole class thing, but it isn’t everything.

The Jesuit ideal is to educate the whole person, and I believe that.

Hit the books hard, but also party hard.

I’d like to think that’s what Ignatius Loyola had in mind.

But remember, time is of the essence, because once one graduates, it’s called alcoholism.

Campus life has so much to offer.

Get involved; there is something for everyone.

There is a wide variety of varsity and club sports, everything from bowling to basketball.

I can’t keep track of all the organizations here, but I know we’ve got ethnic clubs, environmental clubs, spiritual groups, etc.

I think we even have a newspaper.

And if you can’t find what you want, form a new organization.

All it takes is ten signatures, so if you really want to see a “Three’s Company” club, make it a reality.

Take advantage of the lectures, the music, and most of all, the free food. I think students could eat for free all the time if they planned it right.

New Orleans itself is an experience that should not be wasted.

This is the most unusual city in the United States.

What other city is actually building streetcar lines?

This is truly the city that never sleeps; you can find something to do somewhere at any hour of any given day.

I could go see a show every night of the week and stay out until dawn afterward.

It’s a big step up from being in the middle of nowhere.

A friend of mine goes to a school where the biggest draws are going to the 7-11 and touring a crayon factory.

Looking back years from now, I want to have regrets about the things I did do, not the things I didn’t.

Get out of the dorms and do something that you can tell the story of years from now.

So here’s the metaphor of the story.

Don’t be a passenger in your college experience. Climb into the driver’s seat and enjoy the ride.