Students share the most important things they learned during their freshman year of college. Hint: Sometimes the best lessons have nothing to do with class.

1. Partying. "I pulled a 4.0 GPA during my first semester at Howard University and a 3.7 during my second semester. With that being said, the first thing I learned freshman year was ...  partying is not a precursor for failing. I partied ...  hard ...  all year long, and I still made the dean's list. Life is all about balance. If you know how much you can handle, you'll be fine."

- Amber Mobley, graduate, Howard University

2. Grades. "Freshman year definitely counts. My less-than-stellar first and second semesters basically sealed my professional fate. I don't know if that's good or bad, but it does show what a difference a couple of grades can make."

- Terah Davis, graduate, University of Missouri- Kansas City

3. Food. "Do not eat late at night. This equals Freshman 15 and then some."

- Jenny Stalder, junior, Trinity University

4. Alcohol. "Don't start drinking freshman year. It leads to more drinking later and lapses in judgment and a lot of lapses in memory. Plus, you're underage anyhow and should not be breaking the law."

- Amber Mobley

5. Books. "It is entirely possible not to pay for a single book and still have them all for class. It's called inter-library loan and the local public library."

- Natali Lovell, graduate, Antioch College

6. Exploring. "I would encourage all incoming freshmen to scour their new city for local hot spots, like independent theaters, unique restaurants, the awesome organic ice cream shop, the local art gallery and so on - with or without the car. Walking can be half the fun."

- Heather Bashaw, senior, University of Missouri-Columbia

7. Staying put. "My biggest complaint freshman year? ‘I have no friends here.' However, I never afforded myself the opportunity to make friends by going home every weekend that year, I wiped out a number of chances to explore the city and the campus and possibly meet new people."

- Heather Bashaw

8. Studying. "Study in the library after class before you go back to your room, because once you're there, you won't do work."

- Jenny Stalder

9. Friends. "The people you first made friends with in college will not remain your friends forever. In fact, it's very likely you only became friends with these people because you were in a new place where you knew no one and were desperate not to be friendless."

- Natali Lovell

10. Drama. "The kind of drama from high school will happen in college if I let it, or I can be flexible, understand that people aren't always how they seem, and deal with being wrong. Grudges and gossip mean fewer friends, not more."

- Joy Mason, sophomore, William Jewell

11. Budgeting. "Budget and make lists. Don't go to Wal-Mart or Target and just wander or you will spend so much more money than if you stuck to a list."

- Emily Aldredge, junior, Kansas State University

12. Freebies. "Make use of every free amenity the college has."

- Natali Lovell

13. Staying healthy. "Take care of yourself physically. I had so many friends who didn't take the time to eat healthy, exercise, go to the doctor or just buy Band-Aids when they needed it. When someone is not there to tell them everything, college students tend to slack on this."

- Emily Aldredge

14. Reinventing yourself. "Freshman year is your newfound opportunity to shed (or maintain) your high school persona. After four years where everyone knew your name, you are once again in control of your image. Keep that in mind when you've had a few too many rounds of Flippy-Cup and your new BFF takes some less-than-flattering Facebook-ready pics of you."

- Robyn Busch, graduate, University of Evansville

15. Class. "Go to class. Just because you can skip doesn't mean you should."

- Emily Aldredge

16. Roommates. "Learn to compromise and communicate with a roommate. This will make it much more pleasant to live with someone - whether a friend or stranger."

- Emily Aldredge

17. Overcoming fear. "I was terrified to leave home, terrified my family would forget me, terrified people would hate me, terrified my classes would be too difficult. Realizing that it's OK   to be scared meant I wasn't controlled by my fear. Instead, I called home to remind my family I was still alive (and not to make my bedroom into a home office), introduced myself to people instead of hanging back and worked harder in my classes."

- Joy Mason

18. Going abroad. "If you want to go abroad, start saving money now. If you don't have a passport, get one now."

- Jenny Stalder

19. Time outs. "It's OK to just hang out by yourself every once in awhile."

- Natali Lovell

20. Change. "Don't try to make my new life into my old life. My relationship with my family will constantly change. My new friends are different from my old friends. I'll have to sleep in a new bed and eat new food and walk more. College life is so big: there's no way I can fit it into the space left by high school life."

- Joy Mason

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Compiled by Anne Malinee, graduate, Vanderbilt University

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© 2007, The Kansas City Star.

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