You may have gotten here driving, you may have been dropped off and your parents may still be sticking around to make sure you settle in. You may have flown here, taken the train, a bus. Whatever you rode to get here, welcome. You may be missing your family, your old friends and your old abode. You may not eat a home-cooked meal for a while to come. So whatever it cost you to get here, the University welcomes you warmly.

If you are missing your mother, The University News hereby assumes a motherly air to give you a few pointers.

Often, the “college student” title overwhelms the bearer with burdens of choosing a major, picking the classes and figuring out good study habits. While focusing on being students, all other needs related to being young adults often take the back seat. This is the part of every student that usually gets left at home. It includes continuing to eat healthy, exercise regularly and get enough sleep, among other things. But keep in mind that these things are a necessary part of being a college student.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least two-and-a-half hours of daily exercise for an adult. Upon entering college, many students can no longer afford to participate in team sports and may miss the luxury of exercising regularly with a team. To remedy this, it is important to plan to engage in healthy habits with friends by making healthy meal choices and exercising together.

The flip side of being active is, of course, getting adequate rest. Unfortunately, coffee and energy drinks become a sort of trend in college study groups, when in fact they are detrimental to the productivity of students in the long run. They disturb the normal sleep cycle, causing students to continuously reduce their sleep time. This can be dangerous, particularly if it is combined with the general anxiety that comes with adapting to a big school.

If the college experience is in any way overwhelming, do not forget that the University offers many resources to help manage it, including personal and career counseling, an excellent fitness center and study and tutoring aids.

As you walk the campus, don’t forget that SLU welcomes you warmly to your second home.