THERE truly is wisdom in acknowledging how much of a half-wit your past self could be. All those rookie mistakes, close encounters, and brushes with authorities have moved past the lunch break chatter category, because now, they’re parcels of sage-like advice too.

Worried about your next two semesters in college? Fret not. Here are some folks who can actually say, “been there, done that”—and they’re passing on some of the knowledge to you, conveniently segregated into batches. Here’s to learning the easy way (nothing wrong with that), because in college, we all know you need all the help you can get.

FRESHMEN

“Don’t drink on weekdays unless you don’t have class the next morning.”
– Bea Osmena (II BS Mgt)

“Learn to be a conversationalist; Ateneans love that.”
– Javier Reyes (II AB MEco)

“It’s never too late to go to class.”
– Quintin Cu-Ungieng (II BS Mgt-H)

SOPHOMORES

“The best place to take a dump is in the second floor of the old library—it has a bidet.”
– Sandino Lirios (III AB Comm)

“If people exaggerate about how hard accounting is, they’re not lying.”
– Derrick Hidalgo (III AB Eco)

“Don’t fail your major… befriend your professors since more often than not he/she won’t count your cuts/absences.”
– JR Rodriguez (III AB PoS)

JUNIORS

“It will really help if you take summer classes! It will open so much doors in the future (junior and senior year) like minoring or JTA-ing.
– Ari Salud (IV AB Eco-H)

“[Junior year] is the make or break point in your college life and thus should take it seriously. Compared to freshman and sophomore year, junior year has the heaviest load of subjects.
-Andre Iñigo Nieves (IV AB IS)

SENIORS

“Get into as many things as you can this year. This is the last time you can try anything without fear of NOT getting your paycheck.
– Paolo Salapantan (AB Comm ‘10)

“Stay in school enough to know more people. I always had to fix my schedule in such a way that I could work in the afternoon, but I just realized now how I never stayed in school enough to know most of my batchmates
– Tricia Gosingtian (BFA ID ‘10)