When I think about what I have learned in the past four years, the lessons that come to mind do not involve electronegative chemistry molecules, unstable ancient monarchies or brilliant yet confusing philosophers. I credit my roommates, my friends and my extracurricular activities with teaching me the most important things I learned in college, including the following:

•Trust yourself.

Nothing is completely reliable, except those few friends you can call at 3 a.m. for any reason. Stores in the Square or professors’ office hours change often and without notice. Advisers are great when talking about their own field of interest but can be less than satisfactory when it comes to choosing classes or jobs. Dining halls close during senior week and leave you hungry.

With all this instability, second guessing yourself is a big mistake. Believe me: you are capable, competent and able to make good decisions. If you couldn’t believe it your first year (I did not), try to believe it now—if you’ve made it this far, it must be true. So don’t look back with regrets; know that you made the best decisions you could and you will continue to do so.

If you can't trust yourself, whom can you trust?

•Get enough sleep.

It always seems that if I stay up an extra half-hour, I'll get more done and be more ready for the next day, but in fact, the opposite has been true. I usually end up sleeping through lectures, making me feel guilty and upsetting my mother. (To be fair, my roommate insists that “Lecture sleep is the best sleep I’ve ever had” and thinks that this piece of advice is misguided.) While it is incredibly hard to let go of the current day and it always feels like those last few things will easily get done, it’s really not worth it. If only science classes didn’t start so early in the morning…

•Enjoy the little things.