Listen up, kiddies: Ok, you’re at the precipice of the next great adventure in your lives (precipice? look it up — and get used to doing that, too, because you’re going to be looking a lot of stuff up in the next few years.)

A lot of stuff’s going to come at you and it’s going to come at you quickly and without warning. If you’re smart — which, in theory, you should be, or you should at least possess marginal intellectual fortitude — you’ll heed the good advice that comes your way and ignore the poor.

To help you, we called upon some sages to dispense what we believe to be advice worth listening to.

Bethany Lutheran College’s Dean of Admissions, Don Westphal, says getting involved early is key.

“Getting involved will allow you to make that transition from your own comfort zone,” he said. “It’ll help get you connected to new friends.”

Starting college, he said, is like getting thrust into a brand new world with a whole different set of expectations.

Among the new responsibilities some students take

on when they come to college is that of managing

their money. Students should watch out for those

credit card offers.

“In this day and age, with the bombardment you see from credit card companies, you have to start making financial decisions,” he said. “And that’s a good skill to have for down the road when you get married.”

As for common mistakes new students make, Westphal says he sees a lot of students make the kind of mistakes Mom and Dad would have been there to prevent.

“Mom and Dad, they’re not there anymore, and all of a sudden you’re 18 and on your own, in college, as an adult, and every decision you make will have ramifications,” he said.

He also urges students to not forget about their folks. It’s a hard time for them, too.

Heidi Beske at South Central College encourages students to not be afraid to ask