Welcome, students, to Advice Boulevard. I will be your chauffeur for today, giving guidance or recommendations concerning other people’s future actions.

You see, advice should be used for good reasons only. But if you turn your back on it, advice can come back around and haunt you like a DUI.

So when it comes to advice, I believe the first chance you get to take a crack at it, you should take it.

Other than water, I consider advice the most important thing a human being needs to have with them to survive. Yes, that means I think advice is more important than food, gas or even money.

Now some of you are probably wondering if I’m crazy for thinking some influential words are more important than what makes the world go around, but how about we sit back here and think really critically about the last couple comments I‘ve made?

For example, let’s say your parents just handed you a hundred dollar bill just for being the great child that you are. But when they hand you that hundred dollar bill, they gave you some advice: “You should save that hundred dollars and build it up.”

Which do you think will stick with you longer, the hundred dollars or the advice your parents gave you about saving your money?

Exactly. That money probably will be spent within days, whereas the advice they gave you will stick with you for a lifetime.

That’s the difference between money and advice; money is just there for you in the present, whereas advice is part of your present and future.

Now, here are the top five people a college student should turn to when looking for advice:

Your Parents

Your mother kept you in her uterus for almost nine months, she bathed you, nourished you and took care of you since you were little. Your father made sure there was always food on the table and you had a safe, warm place to sleep.

My point is, these two people care about you with all their hearts, so whenever they tell you they are trying to look out for your best interests, their advice should be taken seriously.

Your professors

Lots of professors around campus believe students don’t take advantage of the opportunity of getting to know them.

My high school English teacher told me the most important thing to take with me before going to college was the idea of getting to know your professors. I mean, they are the ones who write the exams in the first place, aren’t they?

Your advisers

This is pretty self-explanatory. MSU hired professionals to help guide you through your college career, and they aren’t utilized often enough. I feel like every time I meet with my advisers, I am one step closer to my career, and you should too.

Your older siblings

This is the case where you’re talking to someone like your brother or sister, who have already been there and done that. Since you are family, the situation that you’re in probably is similar to theirs, and their advice definitely can prepare you for what’s to come.

Anyone who cares for you

This person can be your friend, your significant other, your neighbor, whatever.

If someone who has shown they care about your life tries to give you inspirational words, you probably should listen. This person might not always have been there for you, so the fact they’re trying to help should grab your attention.

With all that said, make sure you prepare for your final exams with the right guidance from the right people.

Understand that as long as you put in all the effort you can give to your class, it doesn’t really matter what grade you receive from your professor because you know you tried your best, which really goes unnoticed during the finals period.

So when finals week is done, make sure you first give yourself a nice pat on the back for trying, and secondly make sure you take my advice on advice and get some before it all runs out. The advice you get this week will last longer than a final grade.

Omar Thabet is a State News guest columnist and a journalism sophomore. Reach him at thabetom@msu.edu.