Graduation time has come and gone for most of the area high school seniors.

For many of you college awaits.

This can be a very scary time in your lives. Obviously, you have never been to college before so you don't know what to expect.

There are a lot of things that you need to look out for. So, because I am such a nice and caring guy I am going to run you through a crash course on some of the do's and don'ts of your first fall.

First of all, stay away from credit cards. You will see credit card goons everywhere you go when you get to college.

What seems like free money can be very tempting to a kid fresh out of high school. It can be hard to turn down unlimited spending with no consequences.

But there are many consequences. If you choose to get a credit card you are likely to spend most of your college career trying to pay it off. At the same time you may also do serious damage to credit that you didn't really have in the first place.

You should also remember that just because no one is there to make you go to class you still have to go.

By about your second month of school you will learn to instinctively swing your arm over to hit the snooze.

There is nothing wrong with that. The problem arises when you have hit the snooze for the 45th time at 2 p.m.

Remember, you are the only one that can make you go to class. If you can't do this you may not be around for very long.

Since most professors are of the attitude that if they have to be there, you should too they are not very tolerant of missed classes.

Another thing students should be cautious about is the choosing of a major. If you don't know what you want to do yet don't declare.

In most cases you have two years before you have to declare a major. Take full advantage of this time.

There are a lot of interesting fields to go into. Declaring a major too early can leave you with a lot of wasted time if you decide your heart isn't in it.

Most of you will enter school with a good idea of what you want to do with your lives. Many of you have known since you were children.

But for those of you who still need a little time don't feel like you have to rush into a major. Things will eventually fall into place.

The most important thing for all of you to do when you get to college is to have fun, but stay out of trouble!

You will meet a lot of amateur lawyers when you get to school. They will claim to know every legal loophole for every situation.

The truth is that these people don't know squat. Taking their advice will get you nowhere.

If you keep a good head on your shoulders and think for yourself you should be able to keep a good balance of work and fun.

There are a lot of good times ahead of you. Be careful and take full advantage of the coming years.

Rick Couch may be reached at

383-9302, ext. 132 or

via email at rick. couch@greenvilleadvocate.com.