This week I ventured off to Montgomery College to talk to high school students and their parents about my college experience having transferred from Montgomery College to the Universities at Shady Grove Campus.

I entered the room and prepared for my presentation, and as I looked at each of the student’s faces, I couldn’t help but feel as if I was looking into a mirror from the past, talking to my nineteen year old self, a senior in high school. In that moment I knew exactly what I wanted to say.

Throughout my four years as a college student, I’ve learned several lessons, but the most crucial of all is this: The Earlier The Better

This little piece of advice can be applied to almost every aspect of college life, and the following is a list of my top five

1) Build Healthy Habits

2) Apply to Scholarships

3) Get Involved

4) Find a Balance

5) Know What you Want

Let me break it down: 1) The sooner you start building good habits in time management, organization, and planning the better off you are in managing a busy schedule. 2) There is money out there with your name on it and no time to waste. Take advantage of all the scholarships out there and start bringing in the green. 3) Getting involved with your school not only looks great for future employers but it’s a way for you to connect with your peers and have fun. 4) Life is a balancing act, so make sure you get enough sleep, time with friends and family, time for yourself, and time for school. This will lead to happiness and more success. 5) If you know what you want to pursue as a career ahead of time the sooner you can prepare yourself for that specific career field. This means the proper prerequisites, elective, volunteer opportunities, internships and jobs all specified to your career.

It’s not always easy following your own advice, but being able to speak to those high school students reconfirmed my beliefs, and served as a friendly reminder to myself. More importantly, it served as a crucial lesson to those students beginning their journey into the college world.