ORONO — Work. Play. Be yourself. Expect nothing.

It’s an attitude that’s served Brian Erickson well in his first two months as a college freshman, studying mechanical engineering at the University of Maine in Orono.

“It’s all been a big surprise,” the Auburn teenager said Monday. His grades are good – he recently received three As in one day – and he’s making friends.

It seems that stoicism works.

He has even managed to hold fast to one of his pre-school goals: no alcohol.

“It’s pretty common,” he said, “but I don’t need it. It’s not like I am sitting around on Saturday night.”

He has discovered that there’s plenty to do at the school that doesn’t involve booze, from attending shows by stand-up comedians to going to hockey games.

So far, his biggest adjustment has come from managing his newfound independence, what he describes as “living by myself in a little room.”

He eats when he wants, sleeps when he wants and does his homework when he decides. No one is there to tell him what to do.

“I think I’m still adjusting,” he said. Sleep, especially, has been a premium.

When a World Series game two weeks ago lasted into the 14th inning – ending around 2:30 a.m. – he paid for it the next morning, rising for an 8 a.m. class.

“Eventually, you know what you need and you have to do it yourself,” he said.

– By Daniel Hartill