<p>I just made my attendance at UGA official today- does anyone have any advice for a first year undergrad? What are the best parts of going to UGA and what are things that you think need change or honestly think are horrible? What are your (or daughter's, sister's, cousin's, etc) experiences at UGA? </p>
<p>I am female and asian :)</p>
<p>Any tips will be appreciated!</p>
<p>Note: some of these apply to all colleges, in addition to UGA. Others are very UGA specific. </p>
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<li><p>Attend as many organizational meetings as possible during the first few months. There are too many options to list, but some organizations who I've found are especially effective/well-run are Habitat for Humanity, HEROs, UGA College Republicans and Young Dems, and The Roosevelt Institution, although I'm sure there are many others. Go and get the free stuff they'll probably be offering for their first meetings and see what you think.</p></li>
<li><p>Go to events. From lectures to sporting events (all but basketball and football and gymnastics, with very nominal prices, are free), there are always tons of things to go do on campus. And enjoy the football games and atmosphere- you may or may not be a fan initially, but you'll soon find it at least an intriguing tradition and an opportunity for excellent tailgating food/people watching. </p></li>
<li><p>Find at least one faculty mentor as soon as possible to help point you around your intended field, or at least point you to a field. One of the best ways to do this is take advantage of the freshmen seminars offered only to freshmen each semester, in addition to of course going to office hours. I was saved a bunch of hassle and difficulty in getting forms signed and avoiding notoriously bad professors thanks to good guidance.</p></li>
<li><p>Focus on the academics first. If you want to live in on-campus housing your second year, you ought to take at least 14 hours, since they award spots via hours first, then GPA. Keep your GPA high initially, seeking out the fairly graded classes (use UGAKey.com</a> - The Key to the University of Georgia - UGA Student Resource to help) and avoiding professors/grad students who can't speak english (beware of any class with "Staff" as the instructor). A high GPA will also allow you to enter the Honors program collegiate entry, if you're not in it already. </p></li>
<li><p>Avoid the high school group mentality. As a state school, people from the same high schools will naturally be inclined to stay around each other, but those groups will quickly break up and people will be looking for their "niche". Hang out with all types, if possible, and find your own group(s). The dining hall is a prime location for this-try to avoid eating alone- you'll be amazed at how many people are pleased to have someone ask to eat with them. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Anyways, those are somewhat general, but I hope they help adjusting to the large-school experience. Over time, UGA definitely does grow smaller, so don't get overwhelmed at first. Stuff like the Honors Program and frats/sorority definitely help, but everyone should be able to find his/her own place at a 33,000 person school.</p>