Hello, fellow students. This is the first installment of a column called New Student PSA. Here in are useful tips, ideas that might’ve been lost in the over-saturation of contemporary media. I wish someone had told me these things when I first entered college.

There’s one question you should have heavily weighed in the college application process. “Why are you going to college?” That’s where you should have started before applying. No college would or could pass up tuition payments because students are unclear about their futures. This means you can go through your entire college career and still not know what you want, which is dangerous!

If you don’t know what you want to do with your life, it’s okay. None of us really do. Even people who think they’ve got it figured out are at least somewhat delusional. Things can change in an instant. College isn’t about learning one specific thing. It’s about learning about yourself and building your mind. College teaches you how to adapt and change with the real world, which is ever-evolving; adapt or die.

Your mind is perhaps the most valuable commodity attached to your name. Build it. Make it better. Improve it while you’re here. You pay for facilities and resources specifically positioned to lessen life’s burdens of eating and transportation to make way for mind-building. If building your mind is not the most important thing in your life, you’re wasting your money (in your college career here and most likely everywhere else in life). College is a tool for mind-building, not a machine. It doesn’t work without you wielding it. Since you bought it, use it!

Want to just feel good automatically all the time? As corny as it sounds, the answer is attitude. Your good behavior shapes your attitude. I don’t mean holding doors and saying, “Please.” I mean your health, your mental health, depends on how consistently you act in ways you know in your heart are healthy.

Let’s say you skip a class; the guilt attached to that is unhealthy (whether you see it or believe it, or not). Then you skip the next one because you don’t want to meet the stares of your classmates who noticed your absence (nobody notices—nobody cares—you just worry about you) and the guilt ferments. Then it is easy to miss classes. It’s a vicious cycle.

This is why it is very important to celebrate the good things you do. I don’t mean holding doors and saying, “Please.” I mean getting sleep, crushing an exam, or mustering the courage to go over and talk with that cute person you’re eyeing. Reward yourself, like a mini-prayer, giving thanks to yourself. That genuine self-rewarded feeling of accomplishment is actually physically healthy; at the very least it creates momentum that will lead to other healthy behaviors.

That genuine feeling of accomplishment is actually physically healthy

Unhealthy behaviors: oh boy, here comes the drug talk. No, not exactly. Well, all right yes; it is the drug talk. This is important, which is why it’s been harped on all our lives. However, it’s not the same old cookie-cutter drug talk. Read on. I’ll keep it interesting for you.

Using or drinking, coffee or beer or anything stronger, can temporarily hold discomfort at bay. They can zing you up, or bring you down, make you immediately comfortable. But the discomfort you are treating will come back stronger. I know, “Treating discomfort.” What’s that mean?

Well, it’s a basic principle of equilibrium (use those smartphones to keep up). Substances that alter mind-states in any way are obtained and taken to achieve equilibrium: a state of mind that you feel comfortable in. This could mean getting drunk or high, or even that cup of coffee that determines the good days and the bad. Your equilibrium changes constantly and varies based on your actions. Sure, it’s unique to each person, and your genetics play a role, but your behavior shapes your equilibrium more than anything else.

Keeping clean, or even just taking a break, from substances or alcohol isn’t about being sober. It’s not about bragging or even being the permanent designated driver (or the one to explain to your friends who did what at a party that got out of hand). It’s about staying in equilibrium. It’s about having a consistent clarity that allows productivity. (Now, if you skipped that important question before applying to college, “Why are you at college,” here’s where it hurts. You can’t be productive if you haven’t found your specific passions. If you haven’t selected your career, productivity won’t matter much to you at all).

Old people didn’t get tired of drinking or using drugs. They got tired of not progressing in life; their bodies were constantly filtering substances they kept pouring into bodies. Constant blood filtration is exhausting for your body. After years of it, they go, “I’m sick of living like this!” Then, they took a break from using, just to let their bodies heal. They noticed that there’s a natural buzz that does the trick, and it comes from achieving success. The only way to keep getting success is the clarity that comes with being sober. It’s a vicious cycle.

“Everything in moderation, including moderation.” —Oscar Wilde

In college, it’s vital you attend to your equilibrium and mental health, but also extremely important that you let loose. By all means, experiment. Don’t drink if you’re underage or do illegal drugs, but try something new. College is a time to try new things. You don’t have bills for this or that (yet) so take advantage of your situation. Live it up!

Last is focus. It is a muscle. Exercise it. Pay attention. This is your time to try new things and discover what uniquely resonates with you. But pay close attention. Shorten your learning curve. Actively participate in the inner dialogue that’s constantly asking, “What am I doing with my life?”