And the winners are:

1. University of Texas at Austin
2. Penn State University Park
3. West Virginia University
4. University of Wisconsin-Madison
5. University of Mississippi
6. Ohio University-Athens
7. University of Massachusetts-Amherst
8. Louisiana State University
9. University of Iowa
10. University of California-Santa Barbara

The Texas Longhorns garnered yet another national title last week, topping the list of the country’s best party schools in the Princeton Review’s annual booze parade survey.

By ranking second in the use of hard liquor, third in beer drinking, and thirteenth in marijuana smoking in a survey of 115,000 students, the University of Texas beat last year’s winner, West Virginia University, for the national tumbler.

Whether your school made the list or didn’t make the list is no reason to party or to head to the nearest liquor cabinet. Even kids at the Got Milk schools are letting loose on the weekends.

So where do we go with this buzz that’s older than the original Sam Adams? Many students will remember someone telling them that their college essay should represent their best writing, because it would quickly tell the readers in admissions who they were.

Same holds true for the first four weeks of college. By the end of week four your professors will have come to a conclusion about you. So go to class better prepared than you ever did in high school, and the work you submit should reflect your best stuff.

Sit toward the front in class, not tucked away in one of the back corners of the room, and participate in class by demonstrating that you’ve given thought to the assigned reading.

Naturally to participate like that students will have to burn the midnight oil, which hopefully means less time on the foamy side of campus. I know it’s hard for many students to start college seriously, what no mom or dad breathing down their necks; all that freedom, how do you not try it out?

For the first time there’s no school principal. Students can skip class because no one’s taking attendance and they can pick up what they missed via laptop, but resist the urge to be the master goof-monger and consider this short list of tips based on an assortment of useful insights written by Princeton University students and alumni to help freshmen get off to a winning start.

Incoming students at Princeton are advised that the age-old adage, “well begun is half done” works wonder for college careers.

The Student Guide to Princeton, which can be found in its unabridged form at http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/sg/index.shtml, often made me nod my head in agreement. See if you agree.

“It's important that you don't fall behind during the first three weeks of the semester – in the whirlwind of choosing classes, adjusting to your new friends and dorm, and finding your way around campus, this is very easy to do. If it does: run, don't walk, to your professor or TA's office hours. Every single instructor at Princeton sets aside time every week for this very reason.

“If they can't help you right then and there, odds are they'll be able to meet with you again later, recommend a tutor, or offer some sort of extension. And if their schedule is especially tight – try inviting them to a ‘business’ lunch. So long as they actually get to eat, many professors and grad students are more than willing to talk over chicken wings and fries.”

Most schools have students and instructors on hand to help incoming freshmen get up to speed or complete their first assignments. Even if you were a valedictorian I strongly encourage you to seek an extra set of eyes to review your first papers before you submit them.

This one will save you time, needless pain and money: “Thinking ahead during your first year will probably save you much agony later on in your college career. For starters, many departments require that you take classes in their field even before you declare them as a major. Furthermore, in departments that have a ton of requirements, taking classes there your first year helps ensure you have the freedom your junior and senior years to take classes outside your field of concentration,” the guide advises.

Get involved. Study after study shows that kids who get involved in campus activities are the ones who make friends the fastest, set down roots the quickest, and live well-rounded student lives. Involved kids aren’t missing the house they couldn’t wait to bolt from.

But don’t get too involved. Do not overextend yourself first semester. College organizations often tend to demand more time than comparable organizations in high school. It's not worth falling behind in math because you really wanted to write for the newspaper.

Get after it from the get go and you’ll have plenty to celebrate when the first round of grades come in.