After three semesters of my opinions, The State Press readers will finally get a reprieve next semester while I focus on a little something called graduation.
But before I give up my newsprint soapbox, I have a few bits of advice and some wisdom that I've picked up during my time at ASU that I would like to share with you all:
1. Get involved. The most successful students I have seen go through this University are the ones who make it a point to participate in student organizations, student government, athletics, clubs and more.
2. Go to class. In large lecture classes it's easy to think you won't be missed if you sleep in, but the truth is that you're just cheating yourself. Professors recognize the faces of the students who show up every day, and the easiest way to improve your grades is to be there and pay attention.
3. Parking and Transit Services has no soul. It will suck every penny out of you before the semester begins by charging astronomical decal fees, it will deny you your paid-for parking spot if there is an athletic event, and it will still issue you a ticket even if you get back to your car at the same moment it does.
4. Sleep. Your health is your most important priority. If getting eight hours of sleep means you don't have enough time to have a job then take out a loan instead. You can't do well in your classes unless you're well rested.
5. Speaking of loans - study abroad. If you think you can't afford it, you're wrong. Spending a summer or semester traveling through a foreign country is eye-opening, educational and thrilling, and it's one of the best ways to truly to get know people.
6. Get to know your professors. They've been in our shoes and they can help you figure out what you should do with your life. Or, at the very least, they can tell you interesting stories about sneaking into the White House library and getting caught by the Secret Service or smoking hashish in Egypt.
7. The ASU band has some of the most spirited and hardest working Sun Devils you'll ever meet. Stick around at halftime to watch its performances next year, you'll be impressed and the concession lines will be shorter between quarters anyway.
8. Attend lectures. The University and its many different colleges all bring a variety of lecturers to campus each year and they are usually free to attend. The ones I have enjoyed the most don't even relate to my majors.
9. Support the basketball programs. The "Herbivores" recently emerged as a group of students aiming to revitalize ASU's dying student section at men's basketball games and to support the new coach Herb Sendek. And the women's team, which has been a consistent national contender, deserves even more fan support.
10. Take pictures. Life is too short, and college flies by. After graduation, you might move across the country for graduate school or a new job, so don't miss the opportunity to capture happy moments with your friends.
11. Join the Alumni Association when you graduate. It will help you stay in touch with your roots, and the local chapters in different areas give you a safety net of Sun Devil support no matter where you go in the country.
12. Apply for opportunities. Whether it's a scholarship or an internship, give yourself the benefit of the doubt, even when the odds are against you. I spent three months working in the United States Supreme Court because I heeded that bit of advice.
13. Go to Four Peaks. Your ASU education will not be complete without a Four Peaks cheeseburger and the 8th Street Ale or one of their other beers brewed on location.
14. Stand up for what is right. At such a big University you might sometimes get bogged down by bureaucracy, or you might feel a little lost in the crowd, but you can't let that stop you.
At times like that, you need to listen to a bit of wisdom from my older sister, Sara, and her favorite movie "Almost Famous": If people try to bring you down or refuse to see your potential, remember that you know who you are and where you're going, and don't worry about them; "you'll meet them all again on their long journey to the middle."
Laura Thorson is a history and political science senior who thinks Michigan got screwed by the BCS. Reach her at: Laura.Thorson@asu.edu.
