Congratulations! You made it through the week! Your syllabi are neatly tucked away, campus doesn’t seem quite so daunting and you may even pass your first quiz today.

Today is a day of ups and downs, highs and lows. It’s a Friday in college, and it’s amazing.

Before your college experience truly begins, we on the editorial board wanted to allow you to drink from our cup of wisdom. Some lessons are better learned the easy way, so please, don’t insist on learning the hard way. Just take our word for it: you’ll have a better weekend if you don’t act stupid.

1.) Know the number for CyRide: (515) 292-1100 and Ames Taxi: (515) 232-1343. There will come a time when you’ll find yourself somewhere that is not where you live. You’ll be glad you have these numbers the next time your ride leaves you in the lurch. The Midnight Express runs very late and is always worth a shot.

2.) Use the buddy system. It sounds childish, but your mom isn’t here to say it, so just do it. Bad things happen to people who walk alone. Remember that guy who had a boulder fall on his arm and had to saw through his own arm to escape? Yeah, use the buddy system.

3.) Don’t text your ex-girlfriend/ex-boyfriend. In fact, it’s probably best if you don’t text or call anybody. If it’s important, it can wait, and if it isn’t important, why say it at all? If you’re a habitual drunk texter, give your phone to your buddy. See how effective the buddy system can be?

4.) Watch where you urinate. Public urination is a real offense with a real ticket and a real fine. Don’t be that guy who’s in the police blotter Monday because he marked the sidewalk as his territory.

5.) Watch where you vomit. In fact, avoid a situation that ends with you vomiting. It’s your first weekend: Be smart, be responsible and have fun. Generally, puking marks the exact instant in a night where the fun ends. Not only for you, but for your poor friends who have to nurse you back into walking condition and drag you home.

6.) Pick up your trash. Whether you’re on campus, in Campustown or in your buddy’s apartment, it doesn’t matter. Be an adult and clean up after yourself.

7.) Go to Campustown. You won’t regret the experience. There’s more there than just bars, so if you and your underage friends are up and craving that late-night feeding frenzy, a walk through Campustown is always a fun adventure. You’ll almost certainly encounter someone interesting, and the conversation on the walk over there is, without question, the best part.

8.) Get your work done early. There’s nothing as satisfying as having a Sunday night completely free. It takes some determination, but when you get home after your last class on Friday, resist the temptation to slack off. Do your homework until dusk, and then go have fun. You’ll be surprised how quickly a good weekend can pass you by and doom you to a miserable Monday morning because you were up until 3 a.m.

9.) Call your parents. This goes for freshmen and seniors alike. You know they would love to hear how things are going. Let them relive their college days through you if necessary, because nothing will ever compare to a good weekend in college.