My advice to graduates: go to college, here's 14 reasons why

It occurred to me today on my way to work this morning while I was thinking about tonight's graduation, it's been six years since I myself made that walk across the very stage tonight's graduates will.

It's hard to believe it's been six years, I'm not sure if it's been six quick or slow years. The only thing I know for sure that is has been six years, I've done the math in my head four times since than and keep coming up with six.

I'm sure I learned a lot in high school, but when I look back at my time at high school, classroom lectures just don't seem to stick out too much. I lettered in 10 sports in high school so most of my memories involve hanging out on a bus with my teammates or the many practices and competitions I engaged in.

However, there are the words of one teacher that have stuck out in my mind since my senior year. (Special shout out out to Mrs. Brill/Walker for helping me pass my all of my math classes, especially the ones she wasn't my teacher for.) Those words came from current athletic director John Clark, who at the time was my economic teacher.

He taught me that Ramon Noodles are a great snack because you can eat them raw or cooked. It had never occurred to me before to eat them raw before.

The second bit of unforgettable advice he gave out was go to college. He said that everyone should go to college if for no other reason than to avoid the real world for four years.

Going to college was never an option in my house so I can't say he inspired me to do so, but I had no clue then how right he was.

So, on the day Mountain Home High School welcomes it's newest alumni, I want to pass his advice down to graduates who are on the fence trying to decide if college is right for them or not.

Because not only do you get to avoid having to find a real job and take on real responsibilities for four (sometime six) more years, there are a lot of reasons to go to college.

Here are my favorite reasons to go to college:

1. If you thought high school was fun in the least, you will love college. Imagine doing all the things you already do, but without having to ask your parents if it's OK first or sneak out to avoid being told no. Because in college, it's all you. You can pretty much do what you want.

2. Not only can you do do what you want, but you can do it when you want. Gone are the days of an 8 a.m.- 3 p.m. school day. Say hello to making your own schedule. If you think 8 a.m. is too early to wake up for math class (which it is), fine, sign up for the class that starts at noon. In fact, I often had days that didn't start until 11 a.m. (Warning, this will eventually catch up to because karma sucks. After making it a point to not schedule a class before 10:30 a.m. through college, I had 8:30 a.m. classes every morning my last semester and both classes I needed to graduate.)

3. Since you get to make your own schedule, you will have time for the best part of the day: nap time. Yes, naps might sound pretty lame now and most people remember crying when their parents made them take one when they were three, but I assure you they are great. For example, your first class gets out at 1 p.m. and you don't have class again until 3, what to do? You could go to the library and work on homework, OR you could go back to your room and take a nap. Also, you'll find yourself studying (or partying, or both at the same time) at all times of the day and sleep becomes a precious commodity that you'll need to grab when you can.

4. There are tons of girls/boys. Once you graduate high school, you no longer get to wake up and go to a place where there are 400 mostly single members of the other sex. Unless you go to college, and 400 becomes like 4,000.

5. On the first warm day after winter, girls like to lay out in the sun and tan in swim suits.

6. If you don't know how to parallel park, you'll get the chance to learn quickly driving on campus or living in the dorms.

7. You'll meet a lot of new people. However, they won't just be friends, at a certain point, they'll be contacts. Contacts that might help you get a job someday.

8. You can upgrade from myspace to facebook.

9. There's no shortage of beer in college. I wouldn't advise underage drinking, but to each their own and if you're into that, you'll have all sorts of hook ups. However, the real fun starts when you're 21 and can get into the bars because all of the good bars are within walking distance of your apartment or dorm room. This means you don't have to worry about how you're getting home. You're boozing, than walking home. Or, calling a friend to come get you because he owes you because you came and picked his drunk self up two weeks ago.

10. There is plenty of beer in college, but even more opportunities. You're not sure what to do with your life? College is the perfect place to figure it out (but only after you have decided that college is indeed the place to figure it out, I've seen people who went to college just because it seemed like the next logical step but didn't want to really be there and waste their parent's tuition money by getting a 0.09 GPA).

Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way, hands on experience is the best way to find out if something's for you or not. If someone calls and offers you an editor position at the student newspaper despite the fact you've never written a published story before, take it. It just might be the thing to make you realize it's what you want to do the rest of your life. Or perhaps you'll hate it and never want to write again, at least you'll know.

11. This one is a lot like the previous one. You get to make lots of mistakes and not get fired. If you get a job, your boss expects you to show up and do the job to standard. In college, teachers and advisers know you'll going to screw up multiple times and are there to guide you when you need it. I made a lot of stupid mistakes in college that would have gotten me fired in the work place. But I made them in college and they all went away when I got my degree. Those are mistakes I'm glad I made because I learned a lot from them, but mistakes I'm glad I made in the classroom and not on someone's time clock.

12. The best thing about college is that the most important lessons you'll need to know to succeed in life aren't learned in the classroom. They are learned out of the classroom in everyday life on campus. You'll learn so much about yourself you'll be amazed at the person you've become. You get the chance to take your ideas and beliefs and have them challenged and figure out exactly where you stand on issues. You'll learn what type of person you really are. You'll work incredibly hard, but have so much fun doing it.

13. Spring break and summer vacations for four more years. I've been out of college for five months and I already miss both of these things. In addition, Christmas break is like a month long.

14. There's lot of stuff to do, most of it's free. There's almost something going on every night of the week, weather it's a free movie, concert or football game. Most of the time, the price of admission is the flash of your student ID card. (If you do go to college and don't take advantage of these events, you'll screwing yourself because the price was built into your tuition so you've already paid for them so you might as well take advantage of it.)

Not only are their school-sponsored activities, there are a lot of clubs and organizations to join and those can be fun. Or you can always go to an event that another organization is holding. There is always something going on, you just gotta look.

For all the seniors already heading to college, there are a few things you should expect once you get there.

1. Remember all the times your high school teacher told you they don't take attendance in college? They lied, most teachers not only do so, but it affects your grade. However, you can use this to your advantage. If a teacher says attendance is worth 15 percent of your grade, that means you can do 85 percent work, a B, come to every class and still get an A.

2. Every teacher in college likes to pretend like their class is the you are taking. It's like they don't realize their class is one of many you are taking that semester.

3. Dead week is a lie, don't believe the hype.

4. Don't plan on sleeping during dead/finals week very much.

5. Girls, if a frat guy ask you if you want to see his room, that's code for, do you mind if we go back to my room and take off your pants?