This Friday I’ll walk across the stage to graduate with high honors from the University of Georgia. Here are nine pieces of advice I wish I’d been told the day I first stepped on campus in 2008.

Send short emails

I shudder to think how many opportunities I lost from an early penchant for sending long emails. University faculty, staff and students are generally busy people, and if they do not know you, they are unlikely to respond to a long email. Even people who know you well probably will not respond. This is not because they don’t like you, it’s a time issue. To respect this, always send a short note that can then set up a lengthier time to meet and discuss in-depth questions later.

Intellect is nothing

By getting into a decent college, you have already proven your academic prowess. Intelligence alone will only distinguish you to a point. Success in college will be based on your ability to leverage other attributes: honesty, humility, curiosity, open-mindedness, discipline and generosity of spirit.

7/10 failure rate

During my freshman year, I attended a panel discussion in which candidates for Rhodes and Fulbright Scholarships gave their advice to younger students. One Rhodes candidate said that he only expected to get three out of every 10 scholarships, internships or other awards for which he applied. I have lived by this advice, and when I was rejected for seven internships in a row, I knew it was a statistically predictable set of events. Don’t be afraid to fail early and often. Knowing the “7/10 failure rate” is the best inoculation against despair and a great preparation for success: It teaches us just how hard you have to work for success.

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iMapMyFITNESS

“Walking is the easiest, most accessible way” to be more active, Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told USA TODAY.

Available for iPhone, iPad, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and Android, iMapMyFITNESS has been recognized as the premier fitness application, with mentions in TIME’s 50 Best Apps list as the only fitness app named this year, Runner’s World UK’s Best Running App of 2012, About.com Reader’s Choice Best Running App in 2012 and iTunes’ Health and Fitness category’s top five consistently, according to The Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch.

While this app is part of MapMyFITNESS network, which has separate apps for walking, running, hiking and more, you really need just one of these MapMyFITNESS apps, given that each uses GPS tracking and gives options for walking, running, etc. You can also record duration, distance, pace, speed, elevation and calories burned for workouts. Proud of your progress? Use the app to share it with your social networks.

Calorie Tracker Lite – LIVESTRONG.COM

“Calories are a valuable tool for weight management,” registered dietitian Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak told USA TODAY.

Only 9% of Americans last year could accurately estimate the number of calories they should consume and 9% tracked daily caloric intake, according to a 2011 International Food Information Council Foundation survey.

With Calorie Tracker Lite, it’s easier to keep track — and eventually get rid — of calories consumed from those late-night pizzas. Available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, this user-friendly app helps you set goals for how many calories you consume and daily and monthly progress. In addition to calories, the app tracks fat, carbohydrate and protein intake, offering “a comprehensive nutrition database of more than 1.3 million food and restaurant items,” according to iTunes.

Use the app to record your weight and see how much you’re losing, maintaining or gaining. Receive daily reminders to make sure you’re staying on track, unlock achievements and earn rewards.

Fitness Buddy FREE: 300+ Exercise Workout Journal

College is expensive enough, so what could be better than your own, free personal trainer right on your phone?

As Gizmodo puts it, Fitness Buddy’s preset workouts are “for the smartphone inclined but weightlifting deficient,” because you can adjust workouts depending on the equipment you have.

Not only can you learn new exercises and beginner, intermediate and advanced workouts, but you can also log them and track your progress. If 300+ exercises are not enough, challenge yourself with 1700+ exercises and tailored workouts on its paid version for only $0.99. Even though the paid version offers many more exercises, MakeUseOf assures us that the free stuff is enough to get us started living a healthier lifestyle.

iPhone, iPod and Android users can all take advantage of this app.

Stress Tracker

High stress and too little (or too much) sleep can prevent you from losing those extra pounds,according to the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, and freshmen are especially vulnerable.

Stay emotionally, mentally and physically fit with this stress diary. Available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android, the app, which was featured on Dr. Phil, can be used as part of a “rage control program” or just as a way to help you regroup and re-energize.

Perfect for exam periods, Stress Tracker also offers stress-relieving tips, exercises and a six-point checklist for immediate relief in a stressful situation. But hurry – according to MakeUseOf, Stress Tracker, valued at $10.99, is free only for the first 10,000 users!

Your freshman year is filled with a whole lot of things that are new to you: new friends, new room, new classes and a new sports team to root for. So for those of you who are new to college football, here are some tips on how to be a good fan at your school’s games.

Learn the cheers

When you are at your school’s games, you should learn how to do the cheers and chants. Unless you’ve been rooting for the team since you were a kid or you actually paid attention at your freshman orientation, you probably won’t know every cheer at the first game.

Just watch what the people around you are doing and try to clap in rhythm. If you go to a big school,the first game is probably against Welosebyfifty State, so you’ll probably have mastered the cheers by the end of the first quarter.

Learn your quarterback’s name

When you root for a team, it’s a pretty good idea to know the names of the players. Start out with learning your quarterback’s name. The quarterback is generally the most well-known player, so even the person who is most oblivious to sports would know it.

Knowing at least one player’s name is a good way to hold a conversation with people you just met the week before. In addition to the standard get-to-know-you stuff you usually talk about, you can say something like, “Boy, [Quarterback’s name] had a great game this week” because people bond over sports.

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Heading to college presents challenges for those BFFs from high school.

1. Start socializing early

2. Ask questions

3. Pay attention

Of course, we’re going to make you click for the final two steps.