As contradictory as it sounds, I've been a Pantene Pro-V man for a year.

But during my last shopping trip, my cheap college student senses finally kicked in, forcing me to pick a cheaper shampoo and conditioner.

Eventually, I chose a pleasant strawberry-scented shampoo from Suave, liking the fact that it was cheaper and hinted that it could transform me into the Ladies' Man complete with Courvoisier.

I placed my Pantene Pro-V back on the shelf, only to have an excited clerk approach me to say that nobody ever puts discarded products back where they belong. She thanked me for doing such a small, but kind, favor to her and the rest of the store's staff.

This shocked me, as I have always returned my unwanted items to their proper place, but I may be an exception.

College students have lived with the stigma of having bad manners mostly because they do have bad manners. Some of my friends usually do not tip well, citing poverty as an excuse. However, they always seem to scrounge enough change from under the couch cushion for their weekly beer run.

That led me to think how important good manners are and how a simple act like putting shampoo back on the shelf can really make a person's day easier. So fellow college students, I'm going to let you into my secret world of manners, the college edition.

As students, we only know one food pyramid -- fast food. With pizza and wings ordered every weekend, we must learn how to deal with delivery people.

Even though students wait longer than the 40-year-old virgin for a small pizza, tipping is still important. The delivery person probably has a very good excuse. It's not easy to feed thousands of drunken students, so throw in a couple extra bucks because chances are, you'll see this person again next week.

Also ladies, please remember to always say "please" when asking for beer at a frat party. Who knows, if you're nice, maybe the jerk behind the bar won't ask you to lift your shirt for a cheap can of Natty Light. But this rule does have an exception. If you're a guy, there is no need to be polite; you won't get the beer anyway.

This next rule is critical. When drunk, always find an acceptable place to vomit. This does not include a couch, next to someone's bed, in someone's bed, on a computer, or on someone's pillow. I've seen them all, and they are all equally terrible. Though seeing my friend puke all over his computer was sickly entertaining.

That leads to another important area of college life: drinking. While it's fine to have a night of fun, discretion should be used when consuming alcohol. When you drink too much, often it's not only you who suffers, but your friends do, too. I'm guilty of this one. After a night of too much jungle juice and flip cup, two of my friends had to drag me like a sack of potatoes all the way from downtown to East Halls. Not only did I put myself in a perfect situation for an underage citation, but I also put my friends at risk. Luckily, I have good friends who are willing to help me get home. OK, but it should not be their burden. Maybe that 10th game of flip cup would be better left for another weekend.

In all seriousness, these are not hard things to do by any means.

The delivery person's job sucks and without him, you would have to pick up food or even cook. Remembering to say "please" and "thank you" should be easy by now, you learned it in kindergarten. And seriously, puking on somebody's floor is about as cool as Walker, Texas Ranger.

It only takes a second to replace an item at the store, and even less time to say "thank you." And most importantly, these simple things can make someone's day. While manners are often ignored, they are one of the basic things that can keep society together, or at least keep your friend's carpet clean.

And for the guys, good manners might help your love life a little bit more than just strawberry shampoo.