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</p>
<p>Ehh. I can understanding managing your time better, but that’s just the way some people study, even when they’ve managed their time well.</p>
<p>Math is really important! Work hard as you can in high school math.</p>
<p>That its really not all about a “higher learning,” I went to college really naive thinking that my professors would all be super enthusiastic and helpful, so not the case. I also realized how hard it is to balance a full time job and full time school.</p>
<p>I wish I researched the job market more carefully. Knowing that college immediately after HS may not always be the best option for some students.</p>
<p>Laundry. I always did my own, but I have friends who before college had absolutely no idea now to do laundry.</p>
<p>
Eventhough it may sound ridiculous, try and study the daily suggested hours for your courseload.</p>
<p>Laundry. I’ve done my own laundry since I was 11, but I knew so many girls that their parents had shown them how to do laundry <em>once</em> and then when they got to college…they had no idea how to operate laundry-mat style washers.</p>
<p>Know your limit, and don’t think if you’re going to drink straight vodka all night you’re not going to puke. I promis you, you will puke. Several times. I saw it almost every weekend in the semester I lived on campus.</p>
<p>If you’re not a partier, don’t live on campus or live on “quiet floors”/ more accademic focused dorms (aka not exclusively first years) if you can. Biggest mistake I made. </p>
<p>Don’t buy your textbooks if you can avoid it. That isn’t to say don’t do your readings, but a lot of profs won’t use the books or use the books for one or two assignments. My first semester I bought <em>all</em> the books, and used four or five of them. Second semester, I bought four of them…as I needed them. Amazon is your friend, and no one will really care if your books are used. </p>
<p>Also, check out your school library. If they have “Course Reserves” use it! They’re the library’s copy of books your class uses that you can borrow for a few hours at a time. I saved about $250 this semester by taking advantage of course reserves. </p>
<p>Do your work on campus. Find a spot that you will actually do work in. I would assume most schools have somewhere other than the library to study/do work like a Student Centre or lounges/seating in different buildings with tables and chairs. Getting work done in your dorm room isn’t always the best idea since people are always looking for company for trips to the grocery store/liquor store/dollar store/ to grab something to eat/go do something other than work/etc. You’re simply not going to get as much work done in your dorm building as you need.</p>
<p>If you’re a commuter student (living at home with your parents/off campus) don’t do work at home. I learned this the hard way. I lived on campus first semester, had decent grades. Moved back home for second semester and my grades tanked. There are too many distractions (digital cable tv/ satellite tv/tivo/gaming system/chores) especially when your time management system sucks because it will.</p>
<p>When they said the workload was going to get more intese? They weren’t kidding. Even though some majors <em>cough</em> history <em>cough</em> have a paper and an exam or two as the only marks for classes, you need to spend way more time on it or else you grades will tank</p>
<p>Time Management. Learn to love agendas and calendars and to-do lists. They will save your butt. Learn what you can handle and don’t push it</p>
<p>Don’t skip classes. Even if you have a few friends in that class, you can’t depend on other people to take good notes, or even the right style of notes that will help you. It sucks when you feel like crap and you don’t want to go to your three hour night class in the rain/sleet/three feet of unplowed snow, but GO. There’s a huge difference between going to class and reading the textbook/getting notes from other people.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>When it is necessary to have my car repaired right away (busted radiator = blown engine in 3 month old car because i figured that the car still ran after the green stuff leaked out so it must not have been THAT important… i was going to have my dad look at it when i drove home from school 4 months later… lol it didnt last 15 minutes once i started it.)</p></li>
<li><p>If a cop tries to question you for any reason other than minor traffic violations ask to talk to a lawyer and do not say another word. (had a good friend go to jail trying to talk his way out of something he did not do… he was at the wrong place at the wrong time and cops like to single out college students.)</p></li>
<li><p>Pick professors by talking to your friends about them first. If you dont have any friends go to the dorm commons, the dining hall, or the library and ask random strangers… it is so important to pick professors that give good grades. My freshman year i had 1 professor who had been in the country for 3 days and did not speak english (but took his tests off of lecture… which was a thick eastern european accent.) I also had a professor that believed that "no student at the undergraduate level is deserving of an “A” as an “A” denotes excellence and there can not be excellence at the undergraduate level.</p></li>
<li><p>Know when to drop classes and how important it is to protect your GPA instead of getting a C or D in a class (doubly important for those wanting to go to a selective grad program.)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Make sure to take at least one “fun” class each semester .
Depending on the student this can be Poli Sci , History, Art History or( more likely) film ).
The point is, don’t overload on hard classes . Like taking 2 sciences, math and Chinese isn’t going to help.</p>
<p>No matter how active you are, if you drink heavily and eat dorm food you’re likely to gain at least some weight. </p>
<p>Don’t chat on Facebook all class and expect to understand the material when you sit down to study it (could be common sense, but took me a semester :P) </p>
<p>Don’t overload yourself your first semester - take a light load, your first semester is more about adjusting to college anyways.</p>
<p>Don’t judge people, and don’t worry about what other people think. It’s your life, not theirs.</p>
<p>Open your mind, don’t think drugs and alcohol are the devil, maybe try some things you ordinarily wouldn’t (but NOT before researching them thoroughly) but don’t go crazy and don’t let it affect your grades or life.</p>
<p>Go through the rush process if you’re nervous about making friends, you have nothing to lose and you could end up a member of a fantastic frat or sorority that you love. It’s about more than partying, just give it a try, even if you’re not a typical Greek person.</p>
<p>Sell your textbooks back right after the semester ends, you get more money that way.</p>
<p>DRUNK ROLLERSKATING IS A BAD IDEA!</p>
<p>Know how many shots you’ve done - tally marks on the arm are an excellent idea.</p>
<p>Don’t try to be BFF with your roommate if you guys don’t click, all you need to do is coexist. You don’t have to be friends, you’re not a failure if you aren’t.</p>
<p>That being said if your living situation sucks, try to change it (easier if you’re in the dorms, obviously).</p>
<p>Flip flops in the showers ALWAYS.</p>
<p>If you’re carrying bottles of alcohol in your backpack, put a sweatshirt or something in there too so that they don’t clink together and/or sound all sloshy.</p>
<p>Clean out your shot glasses or else they’ll get all grimy.</p>
<p>Learn how to pretend to be sober.</p>
<p>Cheap alcohol WILL give you a worse hangover than good alcohol.</p>
<p>Don’t smoke in your room. Just don’t.</p>
<p>Don’t keep weed in dryer sheets because then it will taste like dryer sheets.</p>
<p>Do laundry early in the morning or late at night.</p>
<p>Go grocery shopping now and then, even if you have a meal plan. It’s good practice and you can get healthier stuff. Don’t get a lot of things, just stuff you can’t normally get or should be eating more of.</p>
<p>Dump your significant other if you’re off to different colleges. Really. Do it. You’ll know if you’re meant to get back together after the first semester (and don’t get back together until then - think of it as an experiment if you want).</p>
<p>Lastly, different approaches to EVERYTHING work better for everyone. Don’t judge. Don’t judge. And have some fun! Do what you want to do, be who you want to be. Change who you are. Live the life you secretly wished you could in high school…because you CAN! And for the rest of your life after this, you won’t be able to do it in quite the same way that you can in college…so do it NOW!</p>
<p>Sometimes alcohol can ruin things like orange juice for you forever</p>
<p>^True story. Dr Pepper just tastes like vodka to me now.</p>
<p>Great post roxsox. If you think of anything else worthy of being posted, please do so.</p>
<p>how does alcohol ruin orange juice forever (could it ruin plain oranges too??).</p>
<p>^lol. so naive. If you mix all your booze with orange juice, and then have some bad experiences with drinking, drinking orange juice (or whatever mixer you use) at any other time can remind you of your bad experience. Orange juice is especially bad…just forewarning. </p>
<p>Mixing alcohol with orange juice (or any other mixer) isn’t going to ruin all juices or sodas (or fruits, for that matter) for you, you just have to be careful and make sure to not get sick/know your limits. Also, don’t always use the same chasers time after time…otherwise those who drink often tend to wince at the flavors of certain beverages because they almost “expect” alcohol to be in them.</p>
<p>^Everything that has been said above.^</p>
<p>Research possible professors and classes online for multiple view points.</p>
<p>physics
chemistry
some korean</p>
<p>1) Your professors will hate RateMyProfessor.com and claim that the website is full of lies. Don’t listen to them. I’ve yet to see an inaccurate review of a professor on there.</p>
<p>2) Make sure that you maintain full-time student status if you decide to drop a class. If you transition from a full-time to a part-time student, you will jeopardize scholarships and even health insurance benefits. Keep this in mind when initially registering for classes. (Read: you want to take more than the minimum credit hours required for full-time status.)</p>
<p>3) College research papers are different animals than their high school counterparts. Once revered sources like reliable websites, magazines, and newspapers will now be off-limits. You’ll be expected to know how to search online scholarly databases, which can be nothing short of horrifying. If you can choose your topic, choose something that interests you.</p>
<p>4) Use your resources. There are writing labs, research assistants, math tutors, and so much more on campus. If you’re struggling, go see someone. Your visit is almost always free and worthwhile.</p>
<p>5) Get to know the people in the career center. This is especially true if you’re unsure what your major will be.</p>
<p>6) You will work around your professors’ schedule when making appointments. They will typically get somewhat feisty if you want to make them work around your schedule.</p>
<p>7) Bring an umbrella and a coffee maker.</p>
<p>8) Don’t talk about your high school friends to anyone. No matter how funny you think your story is, you’ll always be greeted by blank stares when you finish.</p>
<p>9) Be outgoing and try to make new friends. Your life will probably be quite dismal during your first semester, but I promise that it will improve. Remember that your classmates are going through the same emotions you are. Also, upperclassmen don’t bite. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice.</p>
<p>10) Perfect roommates are nonexistent. Try to peacefully resolve conflicts if possible. Also, go for a potluck roommate. Do not be roommates with your best friend since age six unless you know what you’re doing (and chances are you think you do, but in reality you don’t).</p>
<p>^While your life could be dismal your first semester, don’t assume it will be. My first semester was the most amazing thing I had experienced to date - the only thing better than that was my spring semester 
However, what you get out of it is up to you. You’re going to have to take the initiative in order to make friends and therefore have an awesome semester.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Get a credit card as soon as you can and use it like you would a debit card. That is to say, pay it off in full each month (do not use it to spend more than you have). You’ll get a head start and build some decent credit for yourself over your college years. Other than that, learn to cook and figure out cheaper ways to get your books (other students, online, etc). </p></li>
<li><p>This may depend on person to person, and a lot of people may kick me for this one, but don’t get too wrapped up in relationships. You’ll have PLENTY of opportunity to find someone after college. Don’t let relationship drama damage your studies. If you have a healthy relationship, though, then all the power to you.</p></li>
<li><p>Little things like studying in the lounge versus your room makes a huge difference. Not only will you make more friends this way, but you’ll be able to better leverage group help if there are others in your field of study.</p></li>
<li><p>This isn’t high school – you don’t have to take the hardest stuff you can and as much of it as you can. In college, this will most likely slaughter you. Put your ambitions in check – focus only on what you need and focus on getting good grades. Having a low GPA will make it harder to get interviews even if you’ve taken a harder courseload. Don’t ramp up the difficulty until you’ve mastered the intermediary steps. If you had trouble handling 4 classes, for instance, don’t go for 5 because “the classes seem easier.” 5 classes is still 5 classes, and usually time is the enemy – not difficulty.</p></li>
<li><p>Which brings me to time management. Make a schedule and stick to it.</p></li>
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