To those who are already on campus and moved in, happy first night of college! We promise we’ll be more fun tomorrow night, but for now we wanted to extend some seriousness. We hope the night is everything you’ve been dreaming of and that you have a really great time with some Late Night Activities. However we’ve also been through the first night of college and know that typically it isn’t exactly what you’ve been dreaming of–maybe it’ll be way better, maybe it’ll be way worse, or maybe it will just be different. Don’t feel weird if you miss home, we’ve all been there and your family/home friends will do cartwheels picking up that phone call.

Please do not feel pressured to go out and have a ca-razy night full of drinks and hijinks. In fact, some of the best nights of NSOP are those you spend hanging out and talking to new friends. But if you do go out and someone falls ill, don’t hesitate to call CAVA, Columbia’s trusty EMS service. There’s a Good Samaritan policy, so no one will get in trouble. Your health is the first priority. The number is 212-854-5555. Program it in your phone. Better yet, memorize the thing.

Another pro-tip: while lots of upperclassman may joke about that awkward NSOP hook-up, others genuinely regret their one night stands. It’s easy to tell yourself you’ll be cautious when you’re chuckling at a “consent is sexy” lecture, but things get more slippery with alcohol. Sometimes it’s better to risk coming off as unnecessarily paranoid and check with a friend before he or she heads off with some rando, than leave him/her alone.

tl;dr: call your mom, call your home friends, call CAVA at 212-854-5555, use the buddy system, even email tips@bwog.com if you want some advice.

That said, it’s your first night at college! Go have some fun! Make new friends! Eat Koronets! Sleep for 12 hours! What have you!