Comment by BrandonM

3. Do not talk yourself out of saying "hi" to that girl. You're missing out on a lot of fun, it won't hurt you, and the sooner you start practicing this the sooner you'll get the hang of it.

I agree, but I would extend it beyond "that girl" and say that it applies to anyone that you think seems interesting. Everyone craves human interaction and almost everyone has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to say hello.

Another bit I would add is to avoid high debt. This will be hard because our entire society is set up to take on debt in your college years and then pay it off once you get a good job afterward. I'm 26 now, and I have nearly $60K in debt. I have to pay a minimum of $1000 a month on those debts, while my rent, utilities, and other costs typically come in under $1000. If I didn't have debt, I could bartend 10 nights a month and make enough to live on. Instead, I work 40-50 hours a week in a tech job that I hate, leaving me thoroughly uninspired and unmotivated to do personal programming work once I get home.

My grandmother gave me similar advice and I didn't take it to heart. All I thought was, "I can work my butt off now at $5-8 an hour, or I can take on debt and pay it off after school when I'm making $50-70K per year." Your future self will be pretty annoyed at you if you use this same rationalization.