It’s hard to believe that in a couple of months college seniors will be given the traditional nudge into the real world upon graduation. Gone will be the days of rolling out of bed to get to class, working on papers, choosing classes and studying for midterms.

Though people have mixed feelings about their college experience, the one commonality that is hard to escape is the thoughts surrounding how much you wish you would have done this (or not done that). It’s often hard to fully appreciate a certain time period of your life while you’re living it. Such appreciation typically comes after the fact, as you realize and reflect on how much you could have done, could have accomplished, could have avoided, etc.

But instead of continuing on with how much you’ll miss college, and how they really can be the greatest years of your life, I’ll simply take the time to help in savoring the final home stretch of your undergraduate career by reminding you of a few things you can do to make the most of your remaining time as a collegiate.

Enjoy yourself. Make sure you go to bed (whenever that may be for those of you pulling strings of all-nighters) fulfilled, content with life and excited for tomorrow, even if it is the day of that dreaded midterm, or the day you get back that assignment you didn’t really understand or even remember writing. Everyone’s interpretation of “enjoying” is different, but the one thing that’s most beneficial is not regretting anything.

Life is life, and there will always be opportunities you wish you had taken advantage of, as well as opportunities you wish you had not. All you can do in school (and life in general) is all you can do, and the sooner you realize this, the sooner enjoyment can begin.

Enjoy your friends. It’s likely that after college you won’t have the opportunity to be around so many people your own age at such similar points in lives. Though everyone’s priority is to stay in touch with friends post-college, the truth is that the likelihood of falling out of touch dramatically increases after graduation as the real world and all the responsibilities it entails consume so much of your time (and money).

Though much of your college experience will be based on what you studied, classes, professors and, of course, the places you’ve been (especially if you’ve studied abroad), what makes college really special and extraordinarily memorable is the friendships. Despite the fact that the chance to spend as much time with friends significantly declines, what makes those occasional post-college encounters so special are the memories of time well-spent together in college. So cherish your friends, and the relative ease of planning impromptu get-togethers, coffee dates and dinners.

Enjoy your professors. The ones that give impossibly hard exams, the ones that are always available during office hours, even those you have to organize a search party to find during their office hours or exam times.

Believe it or not, the quirky people that stand before you trying to make classes somewhat interesting are going to be missed. So enjoy them and their influence in shaping your college experience. Oh, and make sure all your questions get answered – after all, that is their job.

Explore. The Los Angeles area offers endless choices for restaurants, shops, galleries, shows and museums. Ever pass by a coffee house or restaurant silently promising yourself that when you have time you’ll go? Well, now is the time to go!

Take a friend, or go by yourself. And if you’re a senior, make a list of all the things you’d like to do before graduation – and if you’re not a senior, go and make a list of all the things you’d like to do before summer. Either way, go and have fun!