Are you guys old enough to remember Baz Luhrmann’s late ’90’s song “Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen)”?

It was essentially just a reading of a column written by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich, set to music. Versions of the lyrics actually floated around the Internet claiming to be a commencement address given by Cornell and Sun alumnus Kurt Vonnegut ’44. But, sadly, we can’t take credit for it.

As someone who is old (I was a Cornell undergraduate until I graduated early this past January) and new (I am starting law school at Cornell in August) to The Hill, I would like to offer you some prospective lyrics for my own “sunscreen song” based on my experiences over the last four years.

Don’t forget: You are lucky to be here. Some of you are lucky to be here because you don’t necessarily believe that your credentials were good enough to get you into an Ivy League school. Some of you are lucky to be here because you were brought up in an environment conducive to academic success. Some of you are lucky to be here because you were stuck on the waiting list for a few months. And, finally, some of you are lucky to be here because you DID NOT get in to the “better” school that you really wanted to go to (you may not feel lucky now, but you will in a couple of years. Trust me). Point is, you are lucky to be here. Don’t ever forget that. And don’t take your time here for granted.

Pay attention to what is going on around you. Read The Sun (I’m not just saying that because I am a former managing editor). Pay attention, especially when it deals with your dorm, your school or the University at large. This stuff (like President Skorton’s inauguration in a few weeks) matters. And if it doesn’t matter to you now, it will once you graduate, and you’ll regret that you didn’t, for example, show up to see the inauguration ceremony on the Arts Quad. I was at former President Lehman’s inauguration three years ago. The ceremony is a little long and maybe a little weird, but it’s a spectacle that you will only get to experience once in your life. Be there.

Take advantage of Ithaca. During my time as a Cornell undergrad, I was always so busy working for The Sun that until last spring (when my term as managing editor was over and I had graduated), I never really learned to take advantage of what the place has to offer. One of the major reasons that I am glad that I am coming back for three more years is so that I can have another crack at a lot of the things that make Ithaca great and that I haven’t yet had a chance to experience. I could make a list for you now, but I figure you probably have tons of materials in your admissions packets and in this freshman issue that will do that for me. Don’t wait until senior year to have pizza at The Nines like I did. Trust me.

Join a club, or a team or a Greek organization. Wait, no. Forget that. Don’t just join, make a difference. Being a brother in a fraternity or a staff writer at The Sun or a member of a club may be fun, and it may look alright on a resumé, but there is nothing like knowing that what you do really matters to someone. Join the executive board, be an editor, be a captain. Be a leader. Working 50-hour weeks as managing editor (in addition to classes and homework) wasn’t easy for me, but it was the single greatest experience of my life so far. I can guarantee that being involved will be worth your time. As long as you put in the effort.

Don’t take crap from anyone. It’s important to understand that what makes this University so great (its size, its diversity in people and ideology, etc.) is sometimes also its biggest, and maybe only, drawback. There is a lot of “Big Red Tape” (you’ll hear about that over and over again) to sort through, and sometimes a person or an issue can get lost in the shuffle because of the bureaucracy that has been created by such a diverse and expansive institution. At times it seems the right hand doesn’t necessarily know what the left is doing. Basically, what I’m saying is: speak up if you have problem. Don’t be afraid to make yourself heard.

Get hockey tickets. It’s as simple as that.

Live in Collegetown for at least one year. Living on campus is nice because everything you need is pretty much at your fingertips, but living in Collegetown gives you a small taste of what it will be like to live on your own as an adult, and that’s a learning experience in itself.

Eat out sometimes. Tompkins County has more restaurants per capita than any other county in the country, and most of them are really, really good. Don’t wait until your senior year to go to them (so you can keep going back to the ones you like the most). Do some research and you can dig up some great finds. Or, better yet, just walk through the Commons and pick a random one. And make sure to have dessert at Madeline’s. You’ll be glad you did.

Stay a summer. I never intended to spend the summer after my sophomore year in Ithaca, but it worked out that I was able to find a relaxing, well-paying job in the law school

(foreshadowing?), and I was able to live in my fraternity house just as I had the academic year before. Summer in Ithaca is quiet and unique. Everyone’s gone, and there’s a lot of construction, but the weather is great, everything is less crowded and you can enjoy Ithaca without worrying about a full class schedule.

Learn the alma mater. Just the first two verses. You’ll sing it at hockey games and other school functions. You won’t want to be the one person there who doesn’t know it. They stick out in the crowd.

Oh yeah, and wear sunscreen.