I suppose I should begin by introducing myself—I’m Julia Leusner, the Grand Marshal, the leader of student government and president of the student body. I have the power to speak publicly on behalf of the student body, address serious issues affecting students both on and off campus, and meet directly with the president of the Institute and other administrators on a regular basis. In short, I’m the spokeswoman/union boss/advocate for all the more than 7,000 students at RPI.

I’m fairly sure that you have, by this point in your life, heard enough talk about “leadership” and “making a difference,” so I’ll spare you the inflated inspirational stories about my time at RPI and get straight to the point: You can have anything you want if you work hard enough. Life presents us with circumstances and opportunities; genetics presents us with intelligence and capability—the only thing we have control over is how much effort we put in to making the best of it. However, I would like to offer you some simple RPI-specific advice in order to help you make the most of your four (or five) years here:

Do not allow any of your friends to spend more than one hour at a time in front of a computer. At the risk of being cliché, your time here at RPI will fly by. Don’t waste it by being on your laptop 24/7. Your laptop will (hopefully) be around after you graduate and will still be capable of connecting to the Internet, but being on a campus filled with opportunities, where you’re also in such close proximity to all your friends, won’t.

Take everything with a grain of salt. Don’t be afraid to question what your professors teach you, unless it’s about whether this column can occasionally be somewhat nonsensical … then you can take their word for it. Additionally, be sure you meet with your advisor on a regular basis. Advisors are an invaluable tool when it comes to planning out dual majors, transferring credits, or participating in a co-op. If they don’t know the answer, they will direct you to someone who does.

Go downtown. Troy is a fun city with plenty of places to eat, shop, and get as far away from classes as you need. Our Student Union even offers free tickets to concerts at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall—you should try to go to at least one of these concerts before you graduate.

Use the Student Union. At any hour of the day, there are always students in the Union; it will become your “home” away from your dorm room. We’re one of only 20 or so schools across the United States that has an entirely student-run union, which includes managing a budget of about $8.7 million for clubs, activities, and events. This money is a compilation of the activity fee each of you pays, so get your money’s worth!

Manage your time effectively. This is going to be one of the hardest, but most important, lessons you learn while adjusting to college life. Try as you might, you will not be able to pull three consecutive all-nighters and still be able to ace that calculus exam on the fourth day; if you can, stop by my office—I would love to learn your secret.

Speak up. If you have an idea on how to improve your experience here, don’t pretend you’re sitting on the secret ingredient in the Commons ice cream: Share it. Student government has accomplished a great deal in the past and we plan on continuing this trend of excellence, so contact us if you have a problem you would like addressed or an idea you want implemented. We will help.

At the end of the summer, you’ll be joining the ranks of some of the best and the brightest students in the world. Make no mistake, you all deserve to be here and are capable of undertaking the numerous opportunities and challenges RPI has to offer. If you ever feel overwhelmed—and I guarantee that at some point in your four (or five) years here, you will—don’t hesitate to ask someone for help. It can be rough at times; not only will you be expected to juggle a course load that rivals those of some of the top schools in the nation, you will also be expected to do your own laundry, make sure you eat regularly (some people forget, I kid you not!), and give yourself time for social activities. I bet that at least 95 percent of you are used to having your mother schedule your dentist appointments and remind you to write that paper that is due in a week, but you will have to get used to being independent, as I guarantee you won’t be able to fit your mom in what will be an already full dorm room.

I wish you all the best of luck as you enter your freshman year and hope that each of you takes advantage of all the wonderful opportunities RPI has to offer. Get involved in an activity you’ve never tried before, take on another major or a minor, meet as many new people as you can, or study abroad. If you ever need someone to talk to, have a question that needs answering, have an idea for improving campus, or want some friendly advice, contact me at gm@rpi.edu or stop by my office on the third floor of the Student Union in the Student Government Suite—if I am there, my door is open!