Freshman year of college. What a time to be alive! You get a real taste of adult freedom (and the responsibilities that come with said freedom) for the first time. However, once you’re moved in, you may have no idea where to start exercising this newly found freedom.

As a college student who just finished freshman year a couple of months ago, there were all kinds of new things that I got to experience, but there were also some opportunities that I passed up and certainly regret passing up today. I want to give the class of 2019 three big tips on what to do (when not in class, of course) to make the most of your freshman year.

Get a job (if you have time)

The majority of college students respect the value of the almighty dollar. I gained a newfound appreciation for money after my $1,000 in savings at the beginning of the year was depleted as the year drew to a close. One of my biggest regrets was not seeking out a job on campus. Even if you’re fortunate enough to be financially secure, you should hold a job for at least a semester if you have enough spare time. Not only will you make some pocket money, you could gain new skills and potentially develop some close relationships with coworkers. If you’re worried about having a boring job, do not fear! You could work in the dining hall, the Rec Center, Kirkhof, or maybe even as a research assistant for a professor. So try and nab that interesting sounding job, because you never know what cool skills you could pick up and what interesting coworkers you could meet.

Check out various clubs

This one is a bit cliché, yet remains true. First of all, go to Campus Life Night. There is an abundance of free stuff. What kind of college student doesn’t like free stuff? Also, every campus organization and some local businesses have tables set up so you can find out more about what you can get involved in. It may be a pain to lug around a thousand brochures and a bunch of other knick-knacks, but do it anyway.

As a freshman, I only checked out the fraternity I ended up joining and two other clubs. I dropped the first club right away, and I dropped the second one after two meetings. Looking back, I missed some opportunities to perhaps discover an unknown passion.

So attend that pre-professional club’s meetings, but don’t ignore that intriguing martial arts club either. Maybe check out that table with the big painted Greek letters. You’ll never know what you like if you don’t try.

Don’t go home every weekend

During the first few weeks of freshman year, I noticed weekends on campus were dead. I’d always hear people complaining about how boring campus was on the weekends so they chose to visit home. Think about that for a second. If everybody visits home every weekend, then there’s no one on campus. Maybe that’s why it feels so dead. I understand homesickness, but you can’t go home every weekend forever. Once a month is probably a fine interval for visiting your family.

Instead of making the journey back to your hometown, get some friends together and do something. Head down to Grand Rapids and explore. Go to the gym and play some basketball. Maybe get a head start on homework or studying. If more people elect to stay on campus most weekends, then weekends at GVSU will be much more fun. Now I understand that many kids live fairly short distances from campus, but this should apply to them as well. It may be tempting to make that quick drive to the comfort of your home, but you could be missing out on new experiences at college. After all, you can always go visit over the holidays.

So there you have it. Want to make the most of your first year at GVSU? Just follow these three simple tips and you’ll have an amazing year. Just remember to get your schoolwork done first!