<p>I mailed my confirmation to Madison in on Monday, I've sent in my housing contract and my hall preferences, and I plan on making my SOAR registration ASAP to make sure I can go out there a little early, rather than making two seperate trips (something that would be fun, but expensive, and give me a psychological burdon for an extra coupple days.)</p>
<p>I plan on being a Political Science Major. I hail from Southern California. I probably was not the most impressive High School Student attending UW next year. If all goes acording to plan I should have 29 Credits before I step foot on campus. I might be looking to graduate in 3 years. I want to get politically involved. Doing a summer internship in DC has always been a goal of mine. I like writing, I am a journalist for my High School, and would like to keep writing into my college career. I am considering grad school, and if I go I would probably like to go to a very presteigous school in a major city area (EG University of Chicago, NYU, Columbia) but once I get out to Madison, I very well might have the desire to stay there.</p>
<p>As for me personally, I am socially outgoing to an extreme extent. I am not a crazy partier, but I do enjoy it. I am smart. I don't mean to brag or inflate my self, but its a big part of my personality. I love intellectual conversations and well, thinking. I play a lot of Basketball. I love the sport and I try to get in a coupple short games a day. I love Music. I see value in everything from Coltrane to Tupac. I like ranting to my friends about the little everyday things that make me laugh or annoy me or what not. I like to go to coffee shops and resturants. I am not the typical southern californian, aside from maybe the fact that I am easy going and out going. I have an artsy side, and intellectual side, a jock side, a rebellious side ect. I don't fit any one persona or group or whatever. I make a lot of friends just by being my self, and doing what comes natural.</p>
<p>Anyways: what should I do my freshman year academically and socially? Does anyone have any suggestions about the city or the school for me? How should I approach things? How do I keep from Failing out of all my classes or becoming a social outcast or something crazy like that, or should I even be worried?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Consider the Chadbourne Residential College. [Chadbourne</a> Residential College - Responsible, Invested Citizens](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/crc/]Chadbourne”>http://www.housing.wisc.edu/crc/)</p></li>
<li><p>Before you graduate, take Afro American Studies 156 and learn about black culture & music history from the 1950s to present (Tupac!). It fulfills the ethnic studies requirement and is a very popular class</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t get behind - it’s hard to catch up. College pace is twice as fast, and there are fewer ‘grading opportunities’ so your semester grade may depend only on 2 midterms and a final, not dozens of daily assignments, quizzes, papers and extra credit.</p></li>
<li><p>Try a FIG (First Year Interest Group) [University</a> of Wisconsin-Madison | FIGs | First-Year Interest Groups](<a href=“http://figs.wisc.edu/]University”>http://figs.wisc.edu/)</p></li>
<li><p>Consider the Wisconsin Experience Seminar 1 credit course [CP</a> 125: A Wisconsin Experience Seminar](<a href=“http://www.newstudent.wisc.edu/CP125/]CP”>First-Year Seminars – Center for the First-Year Experience – UW–Madison)</p></li>
<li><p>Log in to the SOAR website at 5pm Central Time on April 25th to get your first pick at the SOAR dates. <a href=“http://www.newstudent.wisc.edu/soar/[/url]”>http://www.newstudent.wisc.edu/soar/</a></p></li>
<li><p>Apply to the L&S Honors Program <a href=“http://honors.ls.wisc.edu/SiteContent.aspx?id=269[/url]”>http://honors.ls.wisc.edu/SiteContent.aspx?id=269</a></p></li>
<li><p>Student Season Football tickets generally sell out in less than an hour. If you want season tickets, pre-register on UWbadgers.com, and set your clock early (log in at 7:30 a.m. Central Time) for Monday, June 20th. <a href=“http://www.uwbadgers.com/tickets/fb-student-tickets.html[/url]”>http://www.uwbadgers.com/tickets/fb-student-tickets.html</a> (You can usually buy a single ticket from someone in your dorm if you can’t get season tickets/don’t want season tickets). $174 for the season.</p></li>
<li><p>Visit the ‘Wisconsin Welcome’ website for more information <a href=“http://www.newstudent.wisc.edu/wiwelcome/callforprograms.html[/url]”>http://www.newstudent.wisc.edu/wiwelcome/callforprograms.html</a></p></li>
<li><p>Attend the Student Organization Fair on September 13th or 14th (tentative dates) from 5-8pm (I think it is usually at the Kohl Center) - to find organizations you are interested in becoming involved with.</p></li>
<li><p>Get familiar with my.wisc.edu; click on ‘Student Center’ and search for and learn about courses, add them to your ‘wishlist’. The SOAR advisors will help you choose classes.</p></li>
<li><p>Schedulizer.com is a free website that has UW-Madison’s Fall 2011 course listing - you choose the classes and it gives you all the schedule options.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>SOAR will help you immensely with your precollege jitters. I recommend you spring for the usual summer SOAR despite the extra trip instead of trying to get into the international one held just before classes. Meeting other students, seeing your dorm and talking with an advisor plus all of the other orientation activities will answer your questions. Doing this before you come back will give you time to think about everything and to make any changes, including what you plan to bring with you.</p>