Right now, rising freshmen across the nation are hearing the same college advice from every ex-alum to ever step foot in a dorm: Talk to your professors, get along with your roommate, plan your time well, et cetera.

But you’re not just coming to college, you’re coming to Elon University. So, before you even enter into the proverbial bubble, here’s a few simple tips and tricks to avoid the mistakes of generations of students before you.

Textbooks are every bit as frustrating and costly as you’ve heard them to be. If you’re trying to stay on a budget, the campus bookstore should be a last resort. Check Chegg, Amazon and anywhere else online before you commit to the bookstore. You’ll save $100 easily if you’re careful, and sometimes a lot more.

When selling books back, keep your hopes low. You may occasionally receive $40, even $50 for a used textbook, but more often you’ll get $3 in nickels and you’ll like it. If you really want to avoid disappointment, accept the cruel cycle of the textbook market before your first heartbreak.

Meal plans aren’t your best option. At first glance, meal plans seem like the solution to all of life’s problems. Free food with just a swipe of your Phoenix Card? So easy and efficient!

[quote]There is one single constant in the world of Elon dining: If you build it, they will come. A lot of them.[/quote]

But the costs of a full meal plan often far outweigh their real value. On average, meal plans cost anywhere between $8 and $10 per swipe, when all you really need is a piece of pizza and a bag of chips.

As a freshman, you’ll have to be on a meal plan until you move out of the dorms. But when you can make the switch, Food Dollars are the best bargain you’re going to find. With a built-in 15 percent discount on all food purchases and the versatility to get any meal you want, it’s the way to go. You’ll get a wider selection, and your wallet will thank you.

New restaurants on campus are busy, so make sure you’re committed. There is one single constant in the world of Elon dining: If you build it, they will come. A lot of them. Elon has been kind enough to provide students with some unbelievable dining options, most recently Qdoba and Biscuitville.

If you don’t have the patience for a 30-minute wait, newer dining areas should be a last resort. Elon’s packed with plenty of other places to eat, all still delicious and increasingly underappreciated. Once the most happenin’ dining hall on campus, Colonnades now remains an absurdly high-quality option, but attendance has fallen. Choose your dinners wisely, and you can still find speed and quality all across campus.

Elon takes drinking seriously. As a freshman entering college, you’ve probably never had a sip of alcohol, right? You’re only 18, of course! But for those about to be corrupted by college life, drinking at Elon is serious business. North Carolina’s Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE), your dorm’s RAs and even Elon Police will all be on the lookout for underage drinking. And nights like Reading Day Eve ­— a night of celebration before finals begin — often attract police from neighboring areas. If you’re going out, be safe, keep the noise down and the drinks at the party, not on the street.

[quote]In the next four years at Elon, you’ll develop into the person you’re going to be more than any other period in your life.[/quote]

Lofting your bed isn’t as great an idea as it seems. For many of you, your first trek through the halls of your new dorm building is flanked by dozens of new students and parents, all smashing bed frames out of their supports and lofting them up higher. Desks will be tucked under beds, futons will be shoved around and students and parents alike will marvel at all the new space.

But for many students, it takes only a few weeks of precariously climbing into an 8-foot high bed to realize it’s a bit tiresome. And it takes only one sleepy tumble out of bed to realize it isn’t worth the extra 10 square feet. If you stick with it, more power to you, but make sure you’re fully awake when you decide to go to the bathroom at 4 a.m.

Stealing a brick isn’t that awesome. Once you actually have it, it’s pretty much just a square rock.

Odds are, if you’re stepping onto Elon’s campus for your first time this week, you’ve been counting down the days for months. So take a few moments to bask in your newfound status as a college student, finish lofting your bed and grab your trusty Phoenix Card and lanyard. But before the year starts and your parents pack up for the drive home, remember why you’re here.

In the next four years at Elon, you’ll develop into the person you’re going to be more than any other period in your life. Remember what’s important, take your grades seriously and never forget the real world is just four years away. It’s a lot closer than you think.