The good thing is you're a college student. That means you're at the beginning of your earning history and that you're willing to learn. The bad side of that is that you're at the beginning of your earning (and credit) history and that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

Don't try to jump in too quickly. There are tons of tempting offers here, and more pop up everyday, so much so that you will probably feel that you need to apply for everything you see.

Don't. Before you do anything, you need to understand credit and how it may affect you. Just as you can't learn everything from one college course, you can't learn everything from one board. Before jumping into this, it's a really good idea to learn about credit in general. One good internet resource is here, http://creditboards.com/forums/.

Once you've got credit down, you can mix that knowledge with what you'll get here. In general terms, understand that while love may be a game for the young, credit and FF programs tend to favor us who have reached an age where, perhaps, we've got a bit more experience under our belts.

I don't mean that entirely in jest. Many people here are able to qualify for the promotions offered because of a longstanding, good credit history, or if lacking that history, a tremendous earning potential at the very start of their careers. It's unlikely that as a college student you'll be in that position but it's easy to become envious of all of the people who can take advantage of all the offers discussed on these boards. Those folks, perhaps like me, are a little older and able to take advantage of offers that many cannot. In an attempt to translate my experience to yours, I can only tell you that when I was a college student, I was thinking how great it would have been if my mortgage payment could have been as low as my parents, who paid $100 per month. I pay much more than that now, and although I wouldn't mind paying $100/month, I know the amount I'm paying is comfortably within my budget. You'll eventually reach a similar comfort level with the passage of time.

I wouldn't do a thing for a month other than review the threads here and at creditboards (you're in college, what else are you doing before noon?). Of course, you'll miss out on some great deals, but what you'll gain in return is an understanding of whether those great deals are your great deals. And as we've seen following the deals for awhile, there's always a better deal coming. Many people on this board jumped on a Chase credit card this spring for 100,000 British Airways miles without an understanding that those miles might carry substantial fuel surcharge and tax fees. I don't have a problem with those charges, given my individual travel habits. A lot of people do, and understandably so, given their travel habits. I think that experience simply reinforced my belief that you shouldn't apply for any credit card offer that doesn't meet your particular needs.

Your summer school course, if you will, is to figure out how you can celebrate graduating from college without incurring significant debt while taking the kind of trip your classmates will only envy you for. At the same time, you are likely to learn enough to become responsible with your credit so that you'll also be the first person you know who can qualify for a loan to buy a car or a condo/townhouse/home. And, because you'll have been that responsible with your credit, you're also like to be the first person after making those major purchases who can also take further trips because your superior credit will allow you to qualify for offers they may never reach.