I am a recent college graduate. I do not think I have the time it might possibly take to list the things that I learned over the past eight years. Yes, eight years. I have two majors and two minors but I also did take my sweet time. I realize that the secondary education experience is unique to each student. However, there are several things I think really impacted my college life up until now that I believe would be a great resource for anyone about to enter college or who is maybe only a year or two in.

First of all, I have incredible parents. They are college educated and provided for me year after year. The one thing they lacked the experience to provide help with, tho, was guidance during applying to college and the early years. I do not fault them but I would like to share my experiences with others. My parents attended university over 20 years prior to my entrance into college. I am their oldest child, and things have obviously changed. More and more kids are choosing to continue their education than ever before. This means action is required. I graduated high school in the top fifteen in my class. I had a 3.97, played sports, volunteered and was involved in several clubs. I scored very, very high on my SAT. I also did not know what in the world I was doing when it came to applying for college. I went to an excellent high school that seemed to lack nowhere but in their academic counseling. This may all be moot to someone who has experienced mentors or parents to help them along but many do not. I took my SAT at the latest possible date and applied to colleges way too late, pretty much pigeonholing me into community college or the local state university. I opted for the university and really received an amazing education but I always felt like I could have done better. Here is where I stress that any student wanting to achieve their goals at the highest level, should be very pro-active. This is your future. Do not rely on others to make it happen for you. If you are still in high school, follow these steps and do not slack on them.

•Take practice tests: The SAT, ACT, subject tests, AP tests. Scoring well on these will go a very long way to being excepted to college and more importantly being excepted to the college you want to attend. Check out the Princeton Review. You can take practice exams here and get tutoring. The tutoring is not free but can be very valuable. The tests are free. Even if your high school offers on-campus practice exams, take these until you've basically memorized the content. Test anxiety is real and problematic. Preparing yourself for the event will mean huge rewards come test time.

•Talk to your counselors: Be persistant. While my counselors really dropped the ball on preparing me for college, I do not believe they did not want to help. Even if it seems like they have no clue as to what you should be doing, get on them. Tell them you're serious about getting into a good school and make them do the research. This is such a valuable and free resource and these men and women really want you to succeed. If the help is there, take it.

•Take your tests early: If at first you don't succeed... This is not a one-and -done situation. If you don't score very well your first time around, try it again. Unless you score a perfect on any of your tests, take them again. Scored a 2300? It's not a 2400. Go at it once more. The key to this opportunity is time. If you leave this until late in your high school career, you will not have the chance to take these tests again until you score where you want to be.

•Take a college class: This is one of the best ways to prepare yourself for college. Few students even consider this option, perhaps thinking they aren't smart enough for college courses. Wrong. Find a local community college and visit their website. You can find course information in their catalog. Take a look around. Find a subject you are into and talk to your counselors about enrolling. You will get high school credit and you will experience the college classroom firsthand, far before many of your peers. This is generally a very affordable option and one which should not be overlooked

•Apply, apply, apply: Apply to each and every school you even think you might want to attend. Apply local, apply national, even apply international if you so desire. You will not get in if you do not apply. Think there are just too many colleges out there to bother narrowing your search? Try the Princeton Review again. On their website you can browse colleges by best and worst lists of nearly every imaginable category. From athletics, to social networking, from academics to parties. This website lets you find the colleges you will feel most at home with. They even have a new and very cool Counselor-o-Matic function. it's a nifty little survey that asks questions about you and your history and provides results suggesting colleges you might really love.

.• Visit your schools of interest: In your senior year, after you've taken your tests and the acceptance letters start coming in, Plan trips. Set aside a weekend or three to tackle your most local colleges first. Try and visit one or two each day. Even walking the campus without a tour guide may help you narrow your search right then and there. Every college campus is different. I have spoken with so many people who thought they knew where they wanted to go and after visitng, decided it just wasn't the right scene. And while it may be somewhat costly, try to attend overnight orientation trips at some of your more distant choices. This is a great way to see the campus, learn its history and spend the night in the dorms. Get out there ans see what these campus are like. I would never suggest anyone choose to attend a school they hadn't first spent time at.

• Apply for financial aid: College is expensive, no matter what caliber or location. It costs money to attend school. You may choose to attend a university where it costs over 40,000 dollars a year for your education. And if you think that attending community college is cheap so you won't have to worry, think again. Tuition may be much, much less but you will need bookshelves full of expensive books. (Just a quick note, don't sell these back. You pay so much for them and to get a measly return on them is such a waste. One day you will want to build a library and I will honestly admit I have used nearly all of my books at one point or another, long after I had finished the course.) As for money for college, there is a lot of it out there for you. A whole lot. Anyone in college, thinking about college or just getting ready to attend needs to apply with FAFSA. It may seem like a tedious survey, with form after form but they want to give you money. This resource places you in a database that provides every scholarship possible, grants, loans, any type of educational assistance you could imagine. And you will get money. I have not met one person who has applied for FAFSA who has not gotten a single cent. These people want to help. Let them.

•Sit back and relax: After you have been accepted and have chosen a college, enjoy the summer. pick up a summer job for some extra cash come September, or just enjoy the leisure of not having to be in school. In the Fall, it will time to get serious again. Why not enjoy some fun and sun while you can.

While getting into college is important, being there is even more significant. You should really try and strike a reasonable balance between social activities, classwork, jobs, friends and everything else. Basically, don't party all the time and don't bury your head in your books all night.

• Don't take all your GE classes first: Try to maximize your schedule. You don't want to be there forever but trust me, you don't want to wind up spending your last three semesters with 16 units of your toughest major courses. Want to take that course on action movies, or that one where all you do is paint? Save them. It will be a blessing in disguise when it comes to crunch-time and amidst your core classes you can take a breather while you make jewelry.

•Get involved: The Greek system, student government, clubs, sports. There are literally hundreds of ways to involve yourself. You will meet new people, learn, have fun and really build a sense of school pride that you will no doubt carry for the rest of your life. I involved myself in a lot of these and while I occasionally seemed to be stretched a little thin, I am so glad I got out and tried.

•Get a credit card: I know. This seems like terrible advice. But it is most definitely not. Every student should have one. Try and find one where you can keep your balance low. If you know you only have 500 dollars to spend, you'll be much more careful than you would if you had a 5000 dollar limit. Better yet, get a secured credit card. This is the safest way to have the option of credit without worrying about debt. I think every college student should have a secured card. When cash seems to fly out the window, you're going to have an emergency. Whether it be food, coffee, car repair or worse, sometimes you're going to need a little extra. With a secured card your limit is set by you. Say you want a 500 limit. You got it. Just deposit 500 dollars into the account and it's yours. Seems ridiculous to pay 500 for a credit limit of 500 but here's the best part. That original 500 you deposited is yours to take back at any time, and it can be added to. This option protects you from not repaying your balance. Pay off the bill with extra funds each month or use the original deposit money. Now you don't have to worry about paying a hefty credit card bill with no money.

•Have fun: This may seem totally obvious but college is such a unique experience. You will meet new people, learn new things and really begin to find yourself. When things seem rough, grab a few of those new friends and go out for dinner, or catch a free on-campus movie or live show. Focus on your classwork but never get buried or overwhelmed. You will be far better for it. And while there are dozens more great ideas and suggestions for young students, these are a select few I truly believe will go a long way to making your experience something you will never forget.