Congratulations! If you are reading this you are either a part of The University of Alabama or you are my mom. Both of these are wonderful honors to have. For the freshmen reading this, I commend you on picking up The Crimson White and actually reading your school paper. Not many freshmen do, and keeping up with what goes on at ?your university and surrounding communities is wise.

As you start this tough, transformative and wonderful time in your life, I would like to share with you advice I recommend you heed for this coming year. When you miss someone from home, call them. Don’t forget birthdays of people who are important to you, or people whom you are important to. Get some sleep every once in a while. Stop and pet dogs when you see them. Stand up for your beliefs, and understand why you believe them. Don’t “play games” in relationships. You are in college, and it’s time to grow up. On the other hand, don’t forget to embrace your inner child every once in a while. Volunteer doing activities you love.

Now is the time to really invest in who you are. Explore different ideas and opinions. Read books on things you don’t understand but are curious about and want to comprehend. Ask difficult questions. Learn more about your own beliefs and research topics that interest you. These next years are the only years where you will be surrounded by people your own age all pursuing the same goal: to aquire more knowledge. Don’t take this for granted.

While I hope you find this advice valuable, chances are you most likely won’t realize its value until your own mistakes are made. Go forth and make mistakes. Good mistakes. Not mistakes that get you into real trouble, mistakes that will make you look back on freshman year and laugh as well as grow.

Carolyn Duke is a sophomore majoring in secondary English education and Spanish. Her column runs weekly on Monday.