Not everyone has an older sibling to impart college wisdom upon them. If you’re one of the uninformed – and even if you’re not – we’re here to help. The following is a compilation of the Stater’s staff’s could’ves, would’ves and should’ves.

“I wish someone had told me .”

“. to look at the Campus Bookstore’s Web site to figure out what books I needed then to go online and buy the books somewhere else. That would have saved me a few hundred dollars.”

– Theresa Bruskin, junior (Copy Desk Chief)

“. that those seemingly insignificant, petulant LERs do, in fact, mean something. Occasionally, during intelligent conversation, I wish I had paid more attention in psychology, sociology or politics. I want to make a reference to something and sound smart, but I can’t remember all the facts.”

– Steven Bushong, senior (News editor)

“. the hours at the health center.”

– Adam Griffiths, sophomore (Columnist)

“. that your first year really isn’t that hard; you can become good friends with your RA and you shouldn’t take classes that are across campus when you only have 15 minutes to get from one end to the other. Oh, and carry an umbrella – we are in Northeast Ohio, and the weather can change at any given moment.”

-Kristina Deckert, sophomore (Design editor)

“. that literally everything in college is up to you – homework, meeting people, class, etc. If you want college to be meaningful, you need to go out there and find ways to do it because no one is going to come knocking at your door.”

– Christina Stavale, sophomore (Reporter)

“. that even though college allows you to grow and change, you’re still the same person; you will befriend the same kind of people you’ve always befriended. Trying to change your image is bound to be a bad idea. In the end, it’ll leave you friendless, and you’re going to have to start over.”

– Kate Bigam, senior (Forum editor)

“. that choosing a major early on helps get rid of taking loads of worthless classes. There’s nothing worse than paying for classes you don’t need.”

– Ryan Haidet, senior (Features editor)

“. that college is what you make of it. Unfortunately, it took me a couple semesters to figure this out.”

– Sara Bennett (Reporter)

“. that people don’t bite. Talk to strangers. Talk to all strangers, even those you don’t want to.”

– Doug Hite (Columnist)

“. about the existence of Facebook!”

– David Soler, PhD candidate (Columnist)

“. about the awkward adjustment period I’d experience during the first few months I was at school. I guess I always thought the transition from high school to college would be relatively natural, but a bad case of homesickness made that anything but the case for me.”

– Jenna Staul (Columnist)

“. not to buy the premium food plan unless you are an athlete. Otherwise, you’ll end up with nearly $800 rolling over to your sophomore year account. Although, it comes in handy if you want to treat your friends to ice cream at Rosie’s Diner at the end of the semester.”

– Jackie Valley, sophomore (Columnist)

“. that having a car will make a difference. This campus is only so fun for so long. Try to get a car on campus even if you have to park at the stadium. Taking a bus to get your car isn’t all that bad. Although the city of Kent is a happenin’ place, I wouldn’t recommend sticking around every weekend, especially if you’re under 21. Akron and Cleveland aren’t far, so get out and have some fun.”

– Tim Magaw, junior (Editor)

“. the sheer amount of time classes, working, and studying would take up so I could have been better prepared to balance it all.”

– Chris Sharron, sophomore (Illustrator)