Let’s get the basics out of the way, dear friends. Unless one possesses an urge to be instantaneously identified as a freshman, avoid wearing a lanyard-like a necklace. Perhaps avoid lanyards altogether. Find alternative and less flamboyant methods of stashing your essentials, like a wallet, a jacket pocket, or a purse.

Now that we have learned to conquer the lanyard cliché, we can delve into the trickier subtleties of surviving the first year at Linfield College.

Every year, freshmen make their way to college with malleable egos, balancing acceptance and self-discovery. After witnessing four years of freshman classes arrive at Linfield, the fastest thing to shatter an ego, ostracize one from new friends, and muddy any chance of realizing an identity goes by the name of alcohol.

Sure, alcohol can be an easy way to open up to strange and intimidating new faces, but bear in mind two things: No one under the age of twenty-one can legally consume alcohol and while it might be called ‘liquid courage,’ it is the easiest way to hide from the fears that must be overcome to truly grow as a person.

It is easy to say the people we drink with are our friends, but be weary.

Never let the number of beer cans littering the floor or shots thrown back eclipse the number of memorable quality moments. True friendships come from mutual time well spent and learning to understand and appreciate one another.

Alcohol gives us the perception of understanding and the warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, but its impact is as hollow as a 12-ounce aluminum can.

Life may appear daunting without the vice of alcohol; however the single best piece of advice a Linfield student can receive is to look up.

If the gravity of the first year of college is too much to bear, peel your eyes from the sidewalk and take a look at the students walking past you.

They have felt your pain. They may still be feeling it, but it never fails on this campus to shoot a smile at a complete stranger and receive the same glowing acknowledgement.

And look up. Look up at the life around you: the tempered hustle of academia, the stoic fortitude of brick walls, and the ever-changing beauty of the trees and flowers.

Do not forget that after you took your first step onto this campus, you will forever belong to the Linfield community. Everything this college has to offer is yours so long as you continue to look up to see it.