If you’re a freshman, chances are you have spent the past couple of days exploring The University of Alabama’s sprawling campus. You may have waited through the line for books at the SUPe Store, and you may have realized that making it from B.B. Comer to Moody, or pretty much anywhere else on campus, in that short 10-minute class change is going to take some serious power-walking. For some freshmen, those first days before classes start hold a lot of promise and excitement, but for others, they can be nerve-wracking. In order to try and ease some of the back-to-school jitters, current seniors offer their advice to the class of 2017.

“Nobody is going to walk up to you and tell you to apply, try out or go to the first meeting; you have to do it yourself. Go online. Ask a professor. See what other people in your major are doing. Email the president of an organization and ask how to join. Ask a professor what research opportunities are available in the department and go to meetings. And yes, it is completely okay to go by yourself. You’ll meet people there. Also, emailing professors and student officers isn’t being annoying. They love it when people show interest and initiative.”

– Hannah Brewer, senior majoring in psychology

“Go to sporting events and spend a lot of time outside the dorm rooms. When you first come to college, your dorm suite is your comfort zone. It gets you out of your comfort zone and gets you meeting other students. You don’t know how many students are in the same boat, wanting the same thing. It’s really important to go out and meet people, be it on the elevator or the person sitting next to you in the classroom.”

– Saahil Agrawal, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering

“You have four years to meet some of the most interesting people you will ever meet, so take advantage of it. Sometimes it can be intimidating to get to know people outside of your typical friend group, but that’s what makes it that much better. I wish I would have started meeting as many people as I could my freshman year and kept in touch with them all.”

– Rachel Coleman, senior majoring in public relations

“Go to class. It’s easy to go out almost every night and get invited to do things everyday and get caught up in it. If school isn’t your number one priority, you’ll find yourself not knowing any of the material for test, and it’s hard to catch back up. It’s better to stay on top of things than to play catch up your whole freshman year.”

– Russell Martin, senior majoring in mechanical engineering

“Looking back at my freshman year, I wish that I had taken advantage of the opportunities available in student organizations on campus. The relationships I have forged at Alabama have been the most valuable resource of all. By focusing on building these connections, I have become a more complete person. I will never again have the opportunity to build such a network. Alabama provides an arena for all of its students to explore this interdependence and to draw strengths from one another.”

– Dusty Knickrehm, senior majoring in health profession exercise science and food and nutrition