On Monday morning, the fall semester at the University of Maryland kicks off. Two weeks ago, the party started at Arizona State, my alma mater.

In Tempe, over 13,000 freshmen are taking their first lumps on a college campus and getting acclimated to everything from campus food, living in a cramped dorm and sharing a bedroom with (possibly) a total stranger, what to do and where to go.

Hopefully, many of them are getting their start in a journalism program (possibly even the Cronkite School or Merrill College!) and are wide-eyed enough to know that there is a future in this business and that they are a part of it.

Last week, I had a chance to speak to the new Masters of Journalism cohort here in College Park. It was a very constructive session; we got to discuss what it would take for them to succeed in the program among many other topics.

It then got me to thinking about what I wish I knew coming into my freshman year at ASU. On my first day on campus, I had the gall to walk into the campus radio station, seek out the Sports Director and tell him I wanted to be a part of whatever they were doing.

Four years later, I graduated as the General Manager and Program Director of the place.

From the start, with the guidance of many fellow students and faculty members, I was able to make the most of my journalism education, which turned into the most fulfilling journey of my life.

I took away six very important lessons from that time. Take them as a Cliff’s Notes on how to get ahead and make the most of your four years in a college journalism program.

1) Respect your elders. When I was a freshman, there was a well-established group of seniors in charge at The Blaze. While I was ambitious as all get-out and had a clear goal in mind, there’s always room to respect those who came before you.

Mike and Joe, the PD and Sports Director back in 2003, were incredibly accommodating, but they also had 100 other guys like me who wanted to get their start in radio. I did my best to go out of my way to learn all I could from them and show the proper respect for the time they had put in to build their own careers and build the station.

Editors and general managers in student media know what it’s like to be a freshman and they know where you are and how you feel. So, if they’re going to go out of their way to help you grow, go out of your way to show your appreciation.

2) Never lose a business card. Whether it’s from a source, a colleague or from a news director or editor who will some day beg to hire you, never, EVER misplace a card.

Even if it’s just a person you meet in passing on a bus or at a party, you never know when that contact will come in handy. My biggest recommendation on this point is to create your electronic Rolodex early. It can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet; when you get someone’s contact information, throw it into your database.

A small cross section of my awesome sports staff at The Blaze from 2005-06.

3) Become an expert…in everything. The great thing about being a journalist is that you’re going to know something about or someone involved in every field, debate or walk of life.

Learning never stops – you might graduate, but you’ll always be gathering new information and absorbing new things. You might be thrown onto a beat in which you never had any experience, but by the end of your time on that beat, you’ll know everything.

You think I knew anything about raw sewage overflows before this summer? By August, I had written 3,000 words about it.

If nothing else, you’re going to be the center of attention at every party because whoever has a question about anything will immediately seek you out.

4) Take any beat. In direct relation to the last point, the chances of you getting to cover exactly what you’ve always dreamed from the outset are pretty slim. No matter how ambitious you are and how much you demonstrate to the editors from day one, you’ll probably be assigned to a topic or beat that you’re unfamiliar with.

With that, if you say no to it, forget journalism.

Take that opportunity to not only grow from the outset as a journalist but learn something new. Plus, your ability to be flexible and the willingness to take on any assignment will be an enormous benefit in the long run.

It’s simple: if you can demonstrate the ability and passion to take on any topic or any story and a colleague won’t, who do you think the editors will come to more often?

5) Make non-journalism friends. First off, they’ll keep you sane. The best friends you will ever make will undoubtedly be the ones you spend deadlines, travel to far-off locales and sweat new assignments with. But it’s important to remember that there’s a world outside the newsroom – one that you need to be a part of.

Case in point – I spent the majority of my college life in radio and TV stations on and off campus and one of the two people I’m closest with in life is a fellow journalist.

The other is has her Master’s in Criminal Justice and consistently spars with me over the legitimacy of mass media. We met in a Spanish class during freshman year. Seven years later, we couldn’t be tighter.

College is the place where you’re going to meet more people than you’ve ever met before in your life and each one will impact you in a different way. If you insulate yourself in the world of journalism, you’re going to miss out on so many awesome people.

Everyone needs balance and everyone needs a release from work. If you’re living in a dorm, you’re most likely in a melting pot of people and majors. Get to know each and every one of them. Find out what they want to do with their college career, go to parties with them and the such.

Besides, when you learn more about what they’re doing, it will give you an extra leg up because you know more about dozens of fields, not just your own.

6) Remember…it’s college! Seriously. Have fun.

College is going to come and go so fast and you shouldn’t spend every waking moment on deadline. Granted, if you want to succeed, you’ll have to make sacrifices like everyone else.

But take time to be irresponsible. Go on Spring Break. Take weekend road trips and stay out until the wee hours enjoying the company of your friends. Play intramurals…brother! Go to football games as a fan. Tailgate and paint your face. Play poker in the study room of your residence hall. Flirt with that girl two floors up.

You’re only in college once. Make the most of it professionally AND socially.