No doubt you’ve heard this a million times already, but here’s a million and one: welcome back. If you’re reading this, then in all likelihood you survived the summer. For this, I offer my congratulations. Getting back in one piece is certainly something to be proud of.

Now comes the hard part.

As I write this, life is swell. I’m moved in to my new four-person suite and am enjoying my nice comfy single (it makes me wonder how I could have ever survived an entire year in a double…). My floormates have impressed me with the various amenities they’ve brought from home—everything from a weight bench to every video game imaginable. Yes, it has been a fun week.

But alas, it cannot last, and college must become school. That’s right, believe it or not this isn’t just one big party. I was a freshman not so long ago, enduring a grueling first week of Club 40, Target Night, watching “Knocked Up” on the swamp and other similarly taxing endeavors. Throw in late night poker and musical jam sessions in the hallways of my dorm, and life seemed perfect.

Do you want to get eight hours of sleep per night or per week?

Then suddenly, before you can walk from the clock tower to Wohl Center (that is, even before all the construction), you’ve got a midterm Monday, a paper due Tuesday, another midterm Wednesday, another paper due Thursday, and play practice or a cappella rehearsal for three hours every night of the week. Of course with all this looming, you know that you’ll want to have fun on the weekend, meaning that Friday and Saturday are out. Sunday is for sleeping in, doing laundry and relaxing after a long and arduous week, so you definitely can’t do any work then, right?

Believe it or not, more than a few people actually do follow a routine similar to this. It is, of course, possible and there’s nothing illegal in doing all your work from twelve to five on the weeknights. Just ask yourself, though, if this is really what you came here for. If the answer’s yes, then go right ahead and give up sleep. It’s no skin off my back.

If the answer’s no, though, then the best advice I can give you is to experiment. All work and no play may make Jack a dull boy, but all play and no work probably won’t be good for Jack in a couple years when he’s trying to find a job or get into graduate school. Find that balance between your academics, extra-curricular actvities, social life, sleep and whatever else there is that you need. It can be done.

But enough with my ramblings for now. You’re all smart people, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. You no doubt have goals and aspirations, both for here and beyond, so all you have to do is ask yourself how you’re going to get there. Are you shooting for a 4.0 or just hoping for passing grades? Do you intend on becoming captain of your athletic team, or are you just there to compete and have fun? Will you party hard or hardly party? And last but certainly not least, do you want to get eight hours of sleep per night or per week?

If you can answer these and other questions, then you’ll be well on your way to a fun and successful year.