With less than a month left before graduation, nearly a quarter of campus, including myself, is set to bridge the great divide from the college world to the much-reviled “real world.”

Unfortunately, this transition can be rough, if not damn near impossible, for a lot of graduates. While the lure of a job, money, a house and a family is tempting to some, it’s far more frightening for those who may not have their dream job lined up or their next five years planned to the letter.

And while millions of dollars have been made trying to ease college graduates into their new stations in life, a mere five tips can have any future graduate thriving, if not only barely surviving, outside of the familiar college setting.

-Maintaining a college attitude

For those lucky enough to leave college with gainful employment lined up, one sure way to ease into the real world is to hold on to a “college attitude” for dear life. Most students survive on limited funds, so there’s no reason that same lifestyle can’t be maintained in the real world.

Used to living off canned food, microwaved dinners, generic everything and whatever beer might be on sale? Why not keep this mentality even when your income has doubled? If a diet of Ramen and 30-packs of Busch Lite were good enough for four years, there’s no reason to upgrade to Guinness and steak just because employment can facilitate a little extravagance.

-Voluntary simplicity

For the thousands of graduates around the country leaving college without employment, poverty, or something embarrassingly close to it, is an inescapable reality. But who was it that said having no money and very few creature comforts was a bad thing?

Poverty is only poverty if you choose to see it as such. As someone who has never had more than $10 in his wallet, I recommend a stance of “voluntary simplicity.” That way, you’re not poor, you’re choosing to live within your means. You can also simply adopt the philosophy that the Buddhists were right and want is the source of all of life’s pains. If someone is bold enough to ask why your bed is a mattress on the floor or why you don’t own a car, simply say you’re choosing to live outside of America’s consumer-driven society, and you’re “happier” that way. They’re sure to buy it.

-The anti-Atkins diet

For the poor, lazy or simply apathetic amongst us all, carbohydrates offer cheap, filling meals. While most of the world is avoiding carbs at all costs, any graduate trying to make it on his or her respective own can easily live on a few dollars a day subsisting on things like pasta, rice, potatoes and the occasional vegetable. All of these ingredients are cheap, easy to prepare and will keep for weeks; i.e. they’re perfect if you do all of your cooking for a week on Sunday or are too busy to prepare elaborate, and well balanced (some say “healthy”) meals.

-The “efficient” apartment

Once you have an economic philosophy and a dietary plan, the next stumbling block is finding a place to rest your head. This means you may have to reside in what is known as a studio apartment or “efficiency.” What this means is that you can stand in the middle of your apartment and touch your living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom all at once.

Like the average dorm room, these things are incredibly similar to prison cells, and are not only dirt cheap but may remind graduates of their college heyday as well. And while they’re not bad places to live, good luck having friends over.

-Never move back home

I cannot stress this enough. Even if it means adopting all of these principles and living in a crappy, basement studio apartment, never move back in with your parents. Chances are, you’ve lived with them for the better part of 20-some-odd years, so why bother going back?