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The return of another school year brings with it a number of certainties. New roommates, unwanted weight gain and — just maybe — sex are a few aspects of the college experience. But how exactly are you to manage these and other facets of life that make up the day-to-day college existence? Here, courtesy of 210SA, are 10 tips to making the 2007-2008 academic year your best one yet.
 

Tip No. 1:

MAKE SURE ALL YOUR IMMUNIZATIONS ARE UP TO DATE.

Generally, most schools require current polio, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) and tetanus/diphtheria (Td) shots. The polio and MMR shots you got as a child last forever, but you do need a Td shot every 10 years. If you're an international student, you must have had a negative TB test within the last 90 days.
Consider getting a few extra vaccines; though they're not mandatory, they prevent illnesses more common than diphtheria and measles. Students living on campus should get vaccinated against bacterial meningitis. Easily spread, the infection first presents flu-like symptoms but can cause brain damage and death if not treated early. Women should consider the HPV vaccine — the set of three shots is pricey, about $150 per injection, but they're much cheaper and less painful than treating cervical cancer. One last inexpensive but crucial vaccine: the flu shot. No one wants to be swimming in tissues and Nyquil during finals. — SCS

TIP NO. 2:

BRING ONLY WHAT YOU NEED.
 
If this is your first time living away from home, you might think you need to bring your entire room to the dorms. But think twice before you start packing your old high school yearbooks and sporting equipment. You really don't need any of that stuff. Your space is very limited, so here are some definite dorm room essentials: Alarm clock; computer (you'll most likely need an Ethernet cord to plug into your college's network); compact refrigerator; bedding (most dorms require extra long twin bed sheets for mattresses); towels; hangers; iron; laundry bag; trash can; shower caddy and shower supplies; TV. Be sure to log on to your college's resident life Web site to download the list of items allowed in the dorms. Most won't let you have pets, hot plates, halogen lamps or candles. Also, most Residential Life offices offer games, dishes or other items for check-out in each hall, so there's no need to bring that stuff.
Lastly, be sure to communicate with your roommate before you move in so that you both don't bring the same items. Try to share — one of you bring the refrigerator and the other the TV. — JH

Tip No. 3:
 
SET HOUSE RULES WITH YOUR ROOMMATE

Sharing a dorm room? Agreeing on a few things now will save you awkward tension later. When your roommate goes to bed, leave the light off and study in a common area. Three's NOT company, so no boyfriend/girlfriend sleepovers. Instead, agree on a system (e.g., a note on the door) to avoid an inadvertent peep show if one of you needs, ahem, special happy time.
If you're living in an apartment, there are issues to settle there, too. How will you divide the grocery bill? If you're messy, fine, but keep it confined to your room. Agree on a thermostat setting you're both comfortable with. And finally, even though you have your own room and don't need to warn anyone with a Post-It on the door, be considerate — walls aren't soundproof. — SCS

TIP NO. 4:
 
COMMUNAL LIVING OFTEN SUCKS. DEAL WITH IT.
 
It's quite possible that for at least a year, you will have to share a bathroom and/or study area with others. That could yield noisy neighbors, unwanted hair in your sink and fellow dorm/apartment dwellers seeing you naked (hey, it builds character).  You can try sitting the troublemakers down and voice your concerns in a mature manner. But sometimes, reasoning doesn't work, so protect yourself as best you can: Shower shoes, earplugs, eye mask. And if all that doesn't work, it might be time for a visit to your resident assistant (RA). These people are highly trained arbitrators skilled in person-to-person communication. Or else they're grumpy senior math majors with no people skills. In which case, you're screwed. — CH

TIP NO. 5:

MANAGE YOUR TIME

Your letter of acceptance is really just the first hurdle in a long race to graduation day. One wrong move and you could wind up running a “victory lap” while you spend an extra year or two paying tuition. Karen Roth, associate director of the Tomás Rivera Center for Student Success at UTSA, says starting out your college career properly can help a lot. Her suggestions: attend every class, read assigned chapters before the lecture, revise your notes the same day and plan to study about four hours a day, Monday through Friday. After your great start, Roth recommends getting familiar with your academic adviser who can help make sure you meet your course requirements or help you regroup if you decide to switch majors. Another important part of college these days is an internship or three, and the earlier the better, Roth said. — JL

TIP NO. 6:

WISDOM IS EASY, MONEY ISN'T
 
Aside from making the grade and learning to live with complete strangers, college can be a lesson for your wallet, too. David Ballard, a certified financial planner, says getting a checking account is a must. Also vital is avoiding all those offers for credit cards. Tempting as they seem, credit cards come with a slight inconvenience: a bill. He says using debit cards instead of credit cards will help you keep it real. Or check out prepaid credit cards that are useless once available funds are gone. He also suggests working out a budget with your family before you leave — and sticking to it. “It's easy to get into a hole you can't get out of,” Ballard said. But there's hope. If you can make it through the first few months, you will have established good habits that will serve you well. And while saving money is hard for a college student, it's not impossible. You can open a Roth IRA (an account on which you pay taxes on the money you put in now but avoid taxes later) for as little as $50. Stash $25 every now and again, and you'll be on your way to a comfortable retirement. And you're still a freshman in college. Now that's smart. — JAV

TIP NO. 7:

GET INVOLVED

The best way to stay on task and keep your grades up is to get involved with a group or organization. “When students get engaged they feel more connected. They're more likely to stay in class and go to school,” said Deborah Martin, public relations officer at San Antonio College. The annual National Survey of Student Engagement found that campus life participation had a “compensatory effect” on grades and those students were more likely to return to college. Visit the student life office or Web site on campus for a list of groups and activities. — JM


TIP NO. 8:
 
PIZZA AND BEER ARE NOT MAJOR FOOD GROUPS

Researchers at Tufts University have found that, on average, men tend to gain around six pounds and women 4.5 pounds their first year at college. OK, so maybe the dreaded “freshman 15” doesn't affect everyone, but it is picking off plenty of plumper-than-they-once-were college students nationwide. So get to a gym — it's that place with the treadmills and dumbbells — and avoid too many late-night pizza binges if you want to maintain your physique. — CH

TIP NO. 9:

THINK WHEN YOU DRINK ..... AS BEST YOU CAN.
 
According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 1,700 college students ages 18-24 die each year from alcohol-related injuries, and 2.1 million drive under the influence of alcohol. Experimenting with just about anything under the sun is part of the college experience, but exercise a bit of self-restraint. After all, wouldn't you like to live long enough to see the next generation of college students come along, so that you can label them immature and reckless for essentially doing the same things you did at that age? — CH

TIP NO. 10:

HAVING SEX? MAKE IT SAFE

You know what ruins your semester faster than a failed physics test? An unplanned pregnancy or case of chlamydia. “Condom, condom, condom every time,” said Yvonne Gutierrez, vice president for community affairs of Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South Central Texas. “Yes, college is a blast, you're free from your parents, and you're going to parties and no one's saying you can't do that. Just be responsible.” Besides using protection, you should also get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Seventy-five percent of women and 50 percent of men who have STDs don't know it. And be especially careful when drinking: Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, making it more likely you'll have unprotected sex. If you do, don't forget you can buy emergency contraception over the counter; just remember you have to take it within five days of having sex. — JB
 
Words: Sarah C. Sumadi, Joaquin Herrera, Clint Hale, Jennifer Lloyd, Julie Ann Vera, Jennifer McInnis and Jessica Belasco