1. Learn people’s names.

While you will literally be meeting about a kagillion people your first semester freshman year, work hard to try to remember the names of the people you meet, it can make a big difference to them and will encourage them to also remember yours, possibly leading to a beautiful flourishing friendship, or at least a nice hello from someone you now know across campus.

2. Go to sleep!

While you might have imagined yourself pulling tons of all-nighters in college, this is not a necessary evil! I have heard way too many times of freshmen coming saying they don’t like coffee, but that they had better get used to it because they were going to need it every day to get through the sleep deprivation — and this is before classes had even started! There is honestly no reason you should have to go through college and end up with both financial and sleep debt. Some students will see it as something to be proud of to talk about how little sleep they got in the previous nights, but all you should have for them is pity, and feel proud when you are organized enough (which you easily can be!) to get your work done earlier in the day and go to bed before midnight!

3. Explore something new.

College can be an amazing opportunity to explore possible passions. There will be innumerable opportunities thrown at you in your first few weeks, and so pick a few that sound interesting to you to check out. Grab a friend and go to the interest meeting! There is really no commitment to these meetings and can be a great way to learn more about the organization in general. Furthermore, it can be a great time to try out a new intramural or club sport or continue one you played in high school. Either way it is a great way to meet new people interested in similar activities and de-stress after classes.

4. Don’t stretch yourself too thin.

On the other hand, because you have so many opportunities, be mindful of your own wellbeing and how you are spending your time. It can be easy to completely fill (or overfill) your schedule, and from experience, it definitely is much better to have a lot to say and remember from a few different things you’ve done, compared to a few words on a bunch of things. It can be difficult as you will constantly be hearing about all the cool things other people are doing and feel internal doubts as to why you aren’t also doing those things, but remember to just appreciate the things you are choosing to spend your time doing and know that no one has time for everything.

5. It's OK to quit and or drop things!

If you do reflect on what you are spending your time on (a great exercise can be to literally track your time for a week to map out what you are really spending your time in each day on) and you realize you are not getting as much out of a particular class or experience as you thought, don’t be afraid of dropping it!! Specifically for classes, you may feel pressured to stay in the class just because of how much time you’ve already put into the class, but if you think there is any chance of you dropping it later, it is better to just drop it ASAP because you are only taking away time you could be putting into other classes. And for extracurriculars, people will still be your friends if you quit their club, people understand how priorities can change and how schedules can become too much, and pretty much everyone has quit something at some point or another. And in the end, in some ways all college will be is a cumulation of experiences, and these will only add to them.

6. Stay grounded as to why you are there and what you want out of your experience.

People go to college for all different kinds of reasons, one thing I think we all have in is to come out with a quality education, but beyond that, what that educational focus and the extracurricular life that goes with it can range dramatically. While you may not really know quite yet what you really want to do or get out of this experience, a good thing to do can be to write down whatever you think it is at the moment, and as time passes, to revisit these expectations, goals and values to see how they adapt and what you still hold true.

7. Do what's best for you!

While your friends might be taking a 18-hour course load, or taking math, physics, chemistry and biology all in the same semester, that does not mean that you also should do so! While it might be what is best for them and they're able to handle it just fine (though in most cases they do not, as much as some people might try to hide it), that does not mean it's what's best for you! People come from all different kinds of academic backgrounds with all different kinds of academic strengths coming into college, so don’t bother comparing your schedule to other peoples. The people everyone is going to be jealous of in the end are the people who took the right amount of classes for them and are able to live a balanced life where they are getting enough sleep.

8. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

In many classes it can seem intimidating to raise your hand, especially when there are 150 other people staring at you, but if you have a question, then there is a very high likelihood that someone else has that same question. If you are really nervous about asking it or are worried that it has already been answered, it can always be a good bet to quietly whisper your question to the people next to you first. But overall, just go for it, you will get more out of the class, the professor will notice (it's a good thing!) and you’ll also be helping your fellow students.

9. ACTUALLY READ the syllabus.

OK, most of the time it doesn’t matter, I’ll be honest, but sometimes it really does — and they’ll test you on it on the first day. It's mean, but it happens (definitely happened to me :’( ).

10. Office hours are your friend!

This is literally a time your professor has reserved guaranteeing they will be in their office to answer questions. Take advantage of it! Even if it is a small or simple question or misunderstanding, it is a great way to get to know your professor and they will notice the extra effort you are putting into their class. On that note, though, make sure to also scope out your professor, as some professors would rather have you contact the TA first or go through other means before contacting them, so make sure to figure that out before you start barging into their office unannounced. Also, don’t wait until the week of the test to go to office hours; by that point, the questions you have from the first week will get lost in the mix, besides the fact that literally everyone else will decide to go that week, so you probably won’t even be able to ask your questions. (Though it's definitely still worth going, even if only to hear other students’ questions and the professors answers to them — you might also realize you had that same question after they ask it.)

11. Form study groups!

People study in all different manners, but one of the most effective can be in groups! Don’t be afraid of bringing it up to people in your classes in the first few weeks; it will help them just as much as it will help you! And if you feel very confident on the material, teaching what you know to fellow students is one of the best ways to be sure you know it fully yourself. Plus, it is a fantastic way to get to know people, and make it through those collective struggle bus classes together.

12. Be respectful of professors.

Don’t start emails with stuff like "Hey!" or "Wazzzupp homie!?" These are adult professionals, not your bros, and even if they are very bro-y in person, always err on the side of formality in emails until they tell you otherwise. Always refer to them as Dr., or Professor if you are not sure if they have their PhD. They have worked very hard for that title and can be seen as quite disrespectful to disregard it. But, on the other note, remember that they are also just people, and in many cases, parents with kids, so you don’t need to revere them as gods or be terrified of them (in most cases).

13. Start with the minimum and accumulate as needed.

As fun as it is to walk into Bed, Bath and Beyond and literally start just grabbing things off the shelves (especially when you get to the "As Seen On TV" aisle), the stuff they are advertising to you as the “PERFECT thing for college students” or the “MUST-HAVE dorm accessory” in most cases is not stuff you actually need, and honestly by the end of the year, might just be trying to get rid of. It can take a while to figure out what you really need when living in a dorm setting, so make friends with people who have cars and try to instead buy things as you need them. A good way to think about this is to go a week without the item, and if you still find yourself actually needing it by the end of the week, go ahead and buy it. (If it is something like soap or toothpaste though, I would definitely say go ahead and buy that ASAP.) Also, at the ends and beginnings of semesters, people are always trying to buy and/or get rid of stuff, so be on the lookout for other students selling or giving away stuff! (The Rice Students Selling Stuff Facebook page is a wonderful resource for this — from sofas to succulents, it's got pretty much anything you could want or need.)

14. Check the weather in the morning.

Or at Rice, just always have a umbrella handy in your backpack — you never know what the day might bring, and let me tell you, it sucks to walk 1.5 miles back to your dorm building in your favorite dress in the rain.

15. Don’t forget to call your parents once in a while.

They love you and put a lot of hard work into helping you get to where you are today. Even if you have younger siblings, they are just as new at this transition as you are, so be there for them sometimes, even if you are feeling good at the time, because let me tell you, there will definitely come some times when all you want is to sit at home and have food made for you.