Advice abounds from upperclassmen who muse, “If I had known then what I know now…”

To err is human. To exit the CoHo unaware that you smell like a corned beef sandwich is a rookie mistake.

For many, freshman year was their best year on the Farm. For others, it was simply the starting block for the rest of their Stanford education.

Whatever the case, advice from upperclassmen abounds.

You’ll frat and you’ll lie, some say. You’ll come to understand that the five-second rule has no place on a college campus. And, says Ogi Zivojnovic ’09, you’ll become best friends with the seemingly intuitive yet surprisingly unforgiving maxim: “Never own more things than you can pack into your car.”

Well-being is a recurring theme in upperclassman advice. “Don’t get completely lost in your academics and forget to socialize or have fun,” said David Gobaud ’10, former ASSU president. “Furthermore, realize that Stanford is a phenomenal place because of countless extremely hard-working and dedicated individuals. Remember to thank administrators, faculty, workers and trustees when you see them.”

Angelina Cardona ’11, Gobaud’s successor, offered up similar advice.

“Make time to reflect, re-center and relax,” Cardona said. “It is more important than any p-set, essay or midterm and will help you do well both personally and academically. Savor each and every moment, and focus on living in the present.”

On balancing schoolwork with personal time, Cardona advised to “never lose your freshman social audacity. Continue to meet and get to know others in our community and spend time with friends. It is the people at Stanford that make our university the best in the world.”

That may be, but Stanford is not the world’s best in some respects. Example? Biking. Worse? Biking in the rain.

“The key to biking safely is to not make eye contact,” Professor Tobias Wolff once said during a lecture.

“Biking in the rain means wearing two pairs of pants,” explained Jennifer Yen ’11. “Get to class, take off the outer layer and put them next to ‘cute boy.’ Let them dry. After class, put on the semi-dry pants and bike your sorry self to your next class. Then lather, rinse and repeat.”

Finding great teachers and friends also brings a learning curve, some say. Often, the best teachers aren’t the ones standing at the front of a lecture hall.

“Ms. Frizzle taught me at a very young age to take chances, make mistakes and get messy,” said Cameron Poter ’11, referencing the television childhood classic “The Magic School Bus.” “This mentality, coupled with Stanford’s resources, will allow you to make the most out of your time here.”

“Don’t be discouraged if you don’t immediately find your best friend, your favorite activity, your lifelong passion or even your major when you get to campus in the fall,” said Ginny Scholtes ’13. “Stanford has a lot to offer…odds are that the right people and the right things for you are out there. It will just take some time, patience and effort to find them.”

And from this reporter, a few words: don’t drink all the beer. Bathe. Set the world on fire.