1) READ EVERYTHING IN THE SYLLABUS
When I say read everything I truly mean it. I am embarrassed to say that I already messed up a few times. When I was in high school, the syllabus was just something they gave you on the first day of school and not THE HOLY BIBLE that it is in college. Apparently, it has "all the answers" and when actually read it I learned that it does! It has all the information on due dates, what you will be learning and how things will be graded. Don't be scared that it can be a few pages long; it's that way for a reason!
2) Sleep is not a thing
So far over the past week I have learned that sleep is something of the past. As my little brother would say "sleep is for the weak," if that is the case I am VERY feeble. I woke up just the other day covered in sticky notes with books and flash cards still all over my bed. I told myself that I would close my eyes for just a few minutes, to restart my energy, but a few minutes turned into a few hours which turned into I woke twenty minutes before class was supposed to start. With that being said when you get some time off or you have a free day with only one or two classes, use that time to catch up on your sleep. Trust me, you will need it.
3) School is more important than hanging out with your friends
It's only week one, and I am already distracted by my friends. "Do you want to hang out?" they ask. As much as I would love to throw my textbooks on the floor and just have some fun I need to realize that school comes first. My parents aren't paying thousands of dollars for me to slack off on my studies, and I don't want my GPA to go down the toilet. I, for one, would like to graduate college on time, and without having to repeat any courses.
4) You don't need to know what you want to study just yet
Ever since freshman year of high school, I have been hounded by family, friends, and teachers to know exactly what I want to do with my life. But I am here to tell you it's okay not to know! A college is a place for self-discovery and learning about all of the possibilities and opportunities in front of you. Study what makes you happy and what you are passionate about. If you don't enjoy something, then why are you doing it?
5) Learn to take a breath
Trust me, its my first week and I am already overwhelmed with work, reading, notes, and personal issues. If you don't take the time just to relax, you will overwork and stress yourself more. Your workload is manageable! Thousands of people have made it through college with jobs, families, kids, and heavy workloads so YOU CAN do it too!
Just be you! Don't stress too much! Ask for help if you need it! College is supposed to be fun, so enjoy it! One day you will look back, and miss these sleepless days.
