by, GABBIE KEERAN, CSU Public Relations Intern

To all of the college freshman, learn from me, a graduating senior, a few things to get ahead and stay on track in college. Here are seven things I tried to do to help me succeed during my four years at school.

#1 Get a mentor and LEARN! This can be anyone from upperclassman in your major or an established professional in any line of work. Don’t be afraid to ask; people want to help!

#2 GET SLEEP. Do not stay up late and binge-watch your new favorite show every night when you have a class at 8 a.m. the next day. To keep your brain healthy and your mood happy get at least eight hours of sleep each night.

#3 Take classes that are NOT in your major. Be diverse, and learn about other fields. Who knows, maybe you will fall in love with your physical education class and become a gym teacher.

#4 Take advantage of summer vacation to intern! I know spending the summer on the lake with your friends and family sounds nice, but getting your dream job right out of college because of the three internships you had will pay off. Trust me.

#5 Go to class. Once you skip one class, you will continue to skip. Do NOT skip, a lot of professors count attendance towards a grade, so therefore you may not pass the class if you don’t go to class.

#6 Join clubs and learning communities. These are YOUR people. Most likely they have similar interests as you, so you will get along with these people. Don’t be shy, be BOLD.

#7 Most importantly, do what makes YOU happy, not what makes others happy. These four years, you are never going to get back. Make the most of it before you have to leave. Watch the minutes grow, and yourself grow. But not too fast because it will be gone before you know it.

I hope these few tips help others succeed. They definitely helped me over the past four years. I wish all good luck, and enjoy college! Four years ago feels like yesterday, time flies.

Gabbie Keeran is a CSU Public Relations Intern and a senior studying Mass Media with a minor in Marketing at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Gabbie is from Prior Lake, MN and has a passion for journaling, practicing yoga, and traveling. She hopes to pursue a career in marketing and communications after graduation.