he past year seems to have flown by so quickly.

Looking at pictures on my refrigerator of my college graduation last summer seems like the blessed event just happened yesterday.

Even the fact that I've been in Ruston since the fall of 1998 is still hard for me to grasp. When I finally moved into the dorms, I was quite intimated by the whole college experience I was about to take on.

For those who are beginning what will be a four-year journey (for others like myself, a five-year journey) here are a few tips on enjoying your college years.

Get involved in campus organizations.

By doing this you'll be sure to meet an array of people to round out your college experience well. From the campus radio station to the Student Government Association, you'll be sure to find a place where you feel at home.

Make it a point to go to at least one game of each sport before you graduate, even if you don't like sports.

Tech athletic events are always full of spirit and good times from tailgating at football games and heckling players of other teams to cheering on those famous Lady Techsters. Plus mingling with the alumni before games can give you some interesting stories about Tech you may have never heard.

Live on campus at least one year.

Dorm life can be quite daunting from cafeteria food to roommates. However, through the process you learn a lot of life lessons and make close friends.

Make time to study.

Having an active social life in college can be lots of fun, but to have a social life in college, you must be in college and pass classes to stay in college. Failing classes can lead to being put on probation by the university, and you can lose those pesky TOPS scholarships with bad grades, which can result with your having to leave college. (P.S. Another major part of passing classes is attendance, and there is a university policy regarding absences.)

Get involved in the community.

You may not know it now, but Ruston may become your permanent home. I never thought that after graduating I would still live here, but after six years Ruston is now my home. Becoming involved in your community while in school could potentially lead to professional contacts that could help you score a job after graduation. Plus, there are a lot of cool locals that add to the flavor of this unique college town.

See the sights that North Louisiana has to offer.

From Mount Driskill to the nearby Lake Claiborne, there is always something to do or see. Just taking a short drive through the piney hills and back roads of North Louisiana can be quite relaxing after a long day of class and studying.

If you and your friends go out and drink, don't drive.

Ruston Police actively searches for those who drink and drive, and it's not because they want you to have a bad time. It's quite the opposite. They want to make sure that the students at Tech and those who live in Ruston are safe when they are on the streets. Ruston has a taxi service, and it's not that expensive. A couple of dollars well spent on a taxi can save lives and even more money.

College is an emotional roller coaster, and there will be rough times ahead, but they never last long.

Before you know it, your four years (or five or six or seven) will be over and the next phase of your life as you move into the real world. Study hard, have fun, and your college years will be some of the best that you can remember.

Jamie Lunt is a former editor of The Tech Talk and is a staff writer for The Ruston Daily Leader.