Welcome to Loyola, class of 2018! The school year is starting up and you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed. To help you out, we asked some upperclassmen if they had any advice for you as you started out your first year of college. Here are the top answers.

1. Talk to people!

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This one is super obvious—make friends in classes, in the OR (the Orleans Room) and on your floor. But you should also remember that you need to communicate to your teachers too. If you have three or four tests on the same day and can’t study, drop them a line. Most teachers are very understanding and willing to work with you if you just talk to them.

2. Don’t spend all of your Wolfbucks at once.

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Wolfbucks don’t feel like “real money,” which means that at first it seems like it’s totally okay to go to Starbucks every morning and get a $7 double shot coconut caramel Frappuccino with whip and two $4 pastries, but it adds up fast. Soon $1,000 Wolfbucks are $15 Wolfbucks, and you’re trying to budget your way through the last three weeks of the semester by only buying 99 cent cup ramen. Budget out your money for the semester—know your weekly spending limit and stick to it as much as you can.

3. Be nice to the staff.

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You’re in a weird place with new people and all you really want right now is your coffee, your food, or your sweet, sweet candy. But while you’re paying, don’t forget to say hi to the person working behind the counter—it really makes their day.

4. Find where your class is before the first day of school.

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Loyola is a small school, but it’s big enough to get completely lost in. Monroe, Mercy, Miller, Marquette—there are a lot of buildings that look the same and sound pretty similar. Go exploring! Know where you’re headed.

5. Set your class schedule from LORA as your lock screen.

Log in to LORA on your phone and take a screenshot of your schedule. It has your class times, classroom location, and teacher name. Set it as your lock screen so you can pull out your phone quickly to check your information.

6. Rent (don’t buy) your textbooks.

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Classes require textbooks. Sometimes they don’t use them, but most of the time they do. If you’re strapped for cash, try renting your books, whether from Amazon or from the Loyola bookstore.

7. Keep a planner, schedule, calendar — something.

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Your life will get really hectic without warning. If you keep a schedule, it’s easier to plan for those times and make sure everybody comes out of exam week alive.

8. Use the buddy system when you go out.

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New Orleans is a beautiful and exciting city, but it’s also not the safest place around. Whether you’re doing a chill night at Bruno’s or going explore the French Quarter at night, have a buddy (or several buddies!) with you. Think of it as bonding time.

9. Remember that “you time” is important.

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It’s great to have new friends, but after a while going out every single night to every single social event starts to become a little bit of a chore. When you start feeling like you have to force yourself to go have fun, take a couple nights off! Stay in, put on your comfy clothes, eat some ice cream and binge-watch Netflix. They just put up Criminal Minds, and Bob’s Burgers is always a good choice.

10. Become involved on campus.

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The cool thing about college is that it’s so much easier to find people who like the same stuff you do. From service organizations to athletic groups to Greek life or student newspapers (hey, guys!), there are tons of places where you can do what you love with great people.

11. Beware the freshman 15.

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You’ve heard it all before: going away from home makes kids’ diets go crazy. But it won’t happen to you! You’re fit and athletic and you don’t even like junk food. But suddenly, halfway through the year, that number on your scale is higher than you expected. Lots of stuff happens in college; you don’t always have time for the gym or for a healthy meal. Know that it’s okay and there are options—check out the Zumba classes at the Sports Center or the healthy options at the Smoothie King.

12. Experiment with how you look!

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This is possibly the one time in your life when you won’t have rules that restrict how you should look or dress. Grow a beard, dye your hair, get a nose ring if you want. Paint your nails rainbow, stop shaving your legs, start only wearing replica costumes of eighteenth-century clothing. You do you — the new you.

13. Get the phone number or Facebook of at least one person in every class.

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There will come a time — don’t try to deny it — when you don’t have the homework assignment or essay prompt or assigned reading. And at that time, you’re going to want the contact info for someone in your class. Reach out and get it early!

14. Don’t push off the boring classes.

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You see all those math and philosophy and history requirements on your syllabus? The basic English and religion requirements? They look boring, and right out of high school it’s tempting to wait and get your exciting classes in first. But come junior and senior year, you’re going to be stuck sitting in a classroom full of students who are younger than you, re-learning information you forgot years ago. Knock those classes out now; it’s worth it for a more fun workload during your later years.

15. Changing your major isn’t a big deal, and it’s probably going to happen.

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It would be great if everybody came into college knowing exactly what they wanted to do with their life, but that’s not how it works. Halfway through the year, you suddenly realize that the pre-med life is not for you. Don’t panic—nearly everyone changes their major at least once. Make sure that you really dislike the subject matter (not just the people), and then make a change that will make you happy.

16. Call your parents every now and then — and not just because you need money.

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Your parents miss you (believe it or not) and at some point you’re probably going to miss them. If you’re feeling stressed out or homesick—or if you just find yourself with a spare minute—give them a call or shoot them a text. They’ll appreciate hearing from you, and it’s a really good way to stave off that homesick feeling. (You will feel homesick at least once. Embrace it.)

17. Use the Academic Resource Center and Writing Across the Curriculum.

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There’s no shame in asking for help. The Academic Resource Center and Writing Across the Curriculum writing center are here to make sure that you pass your class with flying colors. It’s free help from people who understand where you’re coming from.

18. Sleep is important.

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Yes, you needed to get that paper done. Yes, you needed to go to that party. And yes, you need to catch up with your friends back home over Skype. But you also need to sleep. No, seriously. Not a nap. Not for three hours. You need a full eight hours of complete, REM, so-deep-you-don’t-even-move-around-sleep. It’s important. Don’t forget that.

19. Go to class.

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We’re not even going to say anything else about this one.