Everyone is going to be giving you advice. Your friends, parents, extended relatives, even the friends of you parents. You’re going to get sick of it. I’m surprised if you’re even reading this column.

But if you are reading, I was asked to share some of the wisdom I have accumulated during the past four years here at this outstanding University.

First of all, listen to everything people tell you. Even if your Uncle Jim, who graduated in ’64, wants to tell you all the cool spots on campus, keep one ear open because you never know what you might learn. So much has changed on this campus over the years, but some things have been and will always be the same.

Once you actually get here, be open-minded. About everything. Politics, religion, social status, friendship. Never again will you be living among 40,000 other people who are all about the same age as you. Now, not everyone is nice, and in some instances your age is the only similarity you will have.

On the other hand, it is remarkably easy to find your soul mate or the person you will marry. But you can’t find those things if you aren’t willing to try or do stuff you may not have done before.

And for the love of god, please don’t be cliquish.

I had a random roommate freshman year, and we are great friends to this day. We are extremely different people who would never have met under any other circumstance. But I have met so many great people because of him, and he because of me. I couldn’t have asked for a better roommate (except maybe one who showers just a little more in the winter, but you have to take what you can get).

There is so much more to say, but I am already over my 300 allotted words. Go to Quad Day. Make friends. More importantly, go to class. Trust me, I know how much it sucks, but finals suck a lot less if you go to class and stay awake.

Don’t let studies take over your life, though. School should always come first, but be sure to leave a little time to unwind. You’ll come to see that most of the learning is done outside of the classroom.

I can’t remember most of the grades I got my freshman year, but I’ll never forget the night that Illinois beat Arizona and advanced to the NCAA Final Four.

So, in this your first issue of The Daily Illini I have written my last article.

Study hard, party harder, and go Illini.