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Getting sick is no fun, especially when you’re away from the comforts of home. Now that you’re in college, you should try to protect your good health as much as possible because you have a lot of work to do. Missing classes and valuable study time would put you behind and sometimes it’s just too hard to catch up. So, in addition to settling in and meeting new people try to keep the following pointers in mind:

1. Stick to the basics, eat right and exercise: You don’t have to go crazy, but did you know that even a little over 2 hours per week of cardio work such as a brisk walk can help boost your immunities? Activities such as dancing count, too, and any time you can release some endorphins you are bound to feel better. It also makes good sense to avoid heavy casseroles and carbs in the dorm cafeteria in favor of lean proteins and freshly prepared foods. Fruits and vegetables are just as easy to snack on as junk food and your body will thank you for it later.

2. Keep a positive frame of mind: One way to ensure that you don’t get down is to nurture plenty of relationships with different people. It’s easy to be self-critical, and therefore stressed out, when you’re all alone. It’s far better to talk regularly with peer groups to alleviate problems before they snowball into something bigger. There should be plenty of campus activities available to you for meeting people to study or hang out with. If you find yourself feeling anxious or depressed for more than a couple days, you might want to visit the campus health clinic to talk to a doctor.

3. Get vaccinated. Not only do you need to make sure you keep up with your routine check-ups and dental visits (either at home or in your college town) you should now be considering vaccines that been recommended by the American Medical Association in recent years to protect you from sexually transmitted diseases, various strains of influenza, meningitis and other diseases.

4. Get plenty of sleep. Chronic illnesses, diabetes for example, are often associated with insufficient sleep. College can present so many challenges that students feel as if they only have one area to compromise – sleep. Try to remember that getting enough sleep every night is vital to your overall health. If you keep up with your studies and projects on a daily basis, there shouldn’t be a need to pull all-nighters.

If you eat well, exercise, get enough sleep and keep up with your check ups you will be well on your way to a healthy college life. Keep in mind that too much partying isn’t good for you and that alcohol dehydrates your body of much-needed water. Avoid smoke-filled rooms and, better yet, resist the urge to start smoking. Your future as a college-graduate awaits you and you don’t an unhealthy habit following you.

Julie Clark Robinson writes about online colleges, scholarships, and online university programs for mid-career adults.