She spent four years as a USC varsity athlete. Here’s her advice for freshmen

Dear University of South Carolina Freshmen: Get involved in the community, try something new and don’t procrastinate.

That’s the advice of Caroline Petrone, a former four-time USC varsity swimmer featured in a new advice book for college freshmen, titled 101 Lessons They Never Taught You in High School about going to College by Rutgers University Professor Mark Beal.

“These are lessons I followed being an athlete there,” Petrone, who graduated with a degree in public relations in 2017, said in an interview.

Petrone authored four of the 101 mini-chapters in the book. Her messages revolve around staying open-minded, working hard and not sweating the small stuff.

“If I were a freshman again, I would stay in the heart of campus as much as you can because there’s always something going on there,” Petrone said.

“All in all, I would say embrace everything,” Petrone said. “Four years goes by fast, so don’t waste your time doing things you don’t want to do.”

Beal has mentored Petrone for six years, Petrone said. She’s now one of his students, studying Global Sports Business at Rutgers, which is in her home state of New Jersey.

Of the 101 lessons in Beal’s book, he emphasized the importance of going to class, befriending professors and getting involved with intramural sports, clubs or other activities.

“Don’t wait until your junior year to join a club,” Beal said. “You are going to feel awkward as a freshman. Every single freshman feels the exact same way.”

Students on a tight budget should be on the lookout for promotions, services or coupons that could net free dinner, school supplies, or other deals, Beal said.

“Take advantage of all those things ... to save some money you could spend on other things,” Beal said.

This story was originally published August 16, 2018 at 11:18 AM.