Welcome back to $100 phone bills, $300 textbook bills and $3,000 tuition bills.

Welcome back to 8 a.m. labs, 10 p.m. study breaks and 3 a.m. cram sessions.

Welcome back to part-time jobs, daily commutes and juggling responsibilities.

Welcome back to pizza, beer and that fabulous staple called food service.

Welcome back to Iowa State.

Some things will always be the same — or at least it seems that way. Freshmen are rushing. The dorms are opening their doors. The bookstores are stocked. The Iowa State Fair is underway.

Some things have changed. Moovies has a new name. AT&T and TCI joined forces. The 296 prefix on campus changed to 572, and it costs more to park in the Memorial Union ramp.

But these are the little things. Most important are the new faces.

Who are you, and what do you bring to this university? What unique experiences shape your outlook? What will you discover this year?

Perhaps you will develop a new talent, fall in love or reunite with someone you lost touch with. No one knows.

College life is, for the most part, a good life. Iowa State is, in general, a great place to live and learn. We can make it better, however, by staying informed.

During our time at Iowa State, we will be bombarded with information from every angle. Professors, friends, organizations and media will all demand attention.

We need to form opinions about people from the president of the United States to the president of GSB, about issues from the Northern Ireland conflict to lighting on campus. Because we are now, and more importantly, we are the future.

We need to be aware of the opportunities available to us. Iowa State is a hive of clubs, organizations, courses, internships, people, drinks — know the options!

We at the Daily try to highlight the possibilities for you. Read the Daily if you like, and we hope you will, but don’t limit yourself to the Daily.

We don’t have to try anything or everything at Iowa State, and that’s the beauty of college life.

But no one wants to find out about a really cool club five years from now, because it will be too late to join.

Do it now — today.