If you’re graduating college (or will be soon), then consider this: at the very least you’re in your early twenties. You aren’t getting any younger and life is about to get far more real. In light of that, here are some life lessons to take with you when you walk across the podium with your diploma in hand:

1. Stay organized. Now that you’ve handed in an ungodly amount of term papers, sat uncomfortably while completing an innumerable amount of exams, and have slugged countless cups of coffee while cramming in some homework, chances are you might have learned a thing or two about how to organize your time. Now that college is almost in the rearview mirror, don’t leave those organization habits behind. Remember: the world only gets bigger as you progress, meaning you still need to keep track of your obligations and your time.
2. Keep looking for help. Whether you’ve sought relationship advice from a friend or have stopped by your professor’s office hours for help learning difficult class material, college has hopefully taught you that asking for help is often the best (and fastest) way to adapt or learn something new. With the real world on its way, you’re going to need a crash course on office life, renting apartments, navigating your student loan repayment, and way, way more. When encountering a new experience or something unfamiliar, keep your college spirit alive and look for assistance; there’s no shame in reaching out to make sure you get the job done right. Remember that the best resources you have are your professors from college, your friends (who will be going through the same thing as you), and your parents, who have years, and years, and years of experience.
3. Appreciate the small stuff. Any college student knows the perils of living and sleeping in the dorms—hot, stuffy, uncomfortable, and crowded. So remember: when you move on from college, be sure to appreciate the small stuff. Life may get real, and financially difficult, but at least you have a little more space, and maybe an air conditioner.
4. Friendships are meant to last. You’ve probably made some friends and have shared many bonding experiences with them. Don’t throw those memories away even though you might all be moving on to different places. Keep in touch with your friends and you won’t regret it. One truth most college graduates will tell you: it’s much harder making friends once you’re out of school, so it’s wise to keep some of the ones you have.
5. Keep looking for the next adventure. Just because college is over doesn’t mean you have to play the role of “boring adult.” Keep looking for facets of life that keep you excited to be human—travel when you can, eat good and weird foods, read more, watch old movies, or pick up a crazy sport like rafting or rock climbing. In other words: remember that life is short and you can’t take money with you when its over.

Source: ValoreBooks

1. Think seriously. If creating your own major seems like something you might like to do, then get serious about what your interests are. For example, if you’re interested in a particular time period (say, the 19th century), then think figure out why. In other words, write out all of your interests and find the common thread that runs through them.
2. Scan the college catalog. After you’ve plotted out your interests, take a close look at your college’s catalog and highlight all the courses that might apply. For example, if you want to create a degree specific to the 19th century, then you could pull classes from the departments of history, English, music, and art. That way, you get exposure to a wide variety of fields while also working towards a precise goal.
3. Prepare your arguments. Chances are high that your school won’t let you just start your academic plan unless they’re convinced it’s both attainable and strong. Therefore, map out your arguments for why you’re proposed major is a good one, and find several professors and mentors who have your back and who can serve as your academic advocates while getting your plan approved.
4. Get started. If you’re creating your own major, then you’re not exactly electing for a cookie cutter education, meaning you’re going to have to take more ownership of your degree than most of your peers. After all, your academic plan will be new to even your academic advisor, so give yourself a gut check. Are you as responsible as you think you are? Are you persistent? Willing to roll with the punches? If yes, yes, and yes, then go ahead and get started.

After returning from your semester or even your year abroad, admit it: you miss the lifestyle of living overseas. Your home campus might seem a little smaller than it did back before you left, more claustrophobic, less exciting. But to avoid the back-from-abroad blues, try out the following:

1. Get involved in something new. It’s likely that when you were abroad you tried something new every day, which is why you loved your time away so much. You took a couple risks and grew because of that. So now that you’re back, keep it up. Get involved in a new activity, take a class that’s different than the sort you usually take, join a new club, et cetera. In other words, recapture that feeling of taking chances.
2. Keep in touch. Just like you talked on Facebook or emailed with your closest friends from home while abroad, it’s time to do the opposite with the friends you made while living there. Stay close and don’t lose touch. Plan a trip back over break, or even just check in once in a while.
3. Find others like you. You’re not the only one from your school to have gone abroad. Find other people that studied in the same country, or anywhere, really, and become friends with them. At the very least, you can talk to them about what your experience away was like and how to deal with the reverse culture shock of coming home.
4. Don’t lose your language. Often students who go abroad do so in order to immerse themselves in the language they’ve been studying: Spanish, French, Chinese, et cetera. When you come back home, it’s true that you’re not speaking that language as much as you used to, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose it. To keep it up, take more language classes, make friends with international students, or offer to help out those considering study abroad options in the future.
5. Look at your pictures. Often. No doubt you took countless pictures while away. So look at them and relive the awesomeness of your memories.