I always wanted to be one of those anonymous cackles on the laugh track and one of the obnoxious clappers in the crowd of a popular TV show. So on Wednesday, Oct. 4, I went to a taping of the new “Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” Since Jon Stewart, the previous host of the popular news satire, recently stepped down and tickets were being given away for free, I figured this was the best time to become a live studio audience member. If you are yet to go to a live taping of a TV show (but specifically “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah”), here’s how to get started:

1. Reserve your tickets on showclix.com.

I forgot to reserve my tickets online, and within the first four hours of them being released, they sold out. But, I have a friend (who will be receiving a very nice birthday card from me this year) who added me as a plus one on her reservation. Showclix.com isn’t a website solely dedicated to college students—it’s for anyone with internet access looking to get free tickets to shows, concerts, parties, etc.—so be aggressive when reserving your tickets!

2. Get to know Noah.

In all honesty, I had to google Trevor Noah. As much as I was excited to see him, I still didn’t really know who he was. My research included scouring his Instagram and Wikipedia page while watching his comedy special, “African American,” on Netflix the night before the taping.If you received free tickets to see a show you know very little about, do your research so you’ll have a point of reference during the live taping. Under no circumstances should you give your free tickets away (this is most likely a once in a lifetime opportunity).

3. Plan ahead for check-in.

If you have to get to the studio by 2:30p.m. for check-in, but you have class until 2:15, figure out whether you want to speed walk, run or “borrow” someone’s bike to get there on time. I used a combination of jogging/speed walking and arrived at the studio in 11 minutes, despite having initially walked in the wrong direction, almost getting hit by a car (twice) and stepping in… something.

4. Get to the studio in time for load-in.

I went with two of my friends who previously reserved tickets. One of my friends had ticket number 79, my other friend had ticket number 155 and I had ticket number 80. If you want to be at the front of the line but the back of the audience, I suggest you check in at the studio at 2:30p.m., But, if you prefer to be at the back of the line but in the front row, check in between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. My friends and I were some of the last people to be seated because we chose to stay together and stand at the back of the line. Little did we know we were going to be seated right in front of Noah’s desk!

5. Enjoy the experience

Clap the hardest and laugh the loudest (but stop when the director tells you to)! Take full advantage of the fact that you are in the same room as Trevor Noah. I fell in love with Noah over the course of two weeks, so seeing him in the flesh was pretty intense for me. At every available opportunity throughout the taping, I attempted to make eye contact with him, and it worked! Trevor Noah looked directly at me twice during the show—I kid you not.

6. Share this experience with others

Find ways to casually interject that you shared the same air space as the new host of a popular TV show and were basically on TV (your laughter and clapping at least) in all of your conversations from now until something more exciting happens to you.

7. Do it all again

To find free tickets to tapings of late night talk shows like “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” or “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” (to name two) visit showclix.com.