The new semester is fast approaching, which I remember to be pretty nerve-wracking the summer before I started college. College and high school are two very different chapters of your life and I was lucky to have an older sister to prepare me. But not everyone has someone to prepare them for what lies ahead, so hopefully these tips can be of help for those transitioning from high school to college.

1. Don’t buy/rent your books until after syllabus day.

Maybe you want to be prepared and order your books before school even starts, but this could be a waste of money. The first day of class usually just involves the professors going over the syllabus, which means they'll discuss what books you need for their class. Waiting until after the first day of class means you’ll get a good idea as to which books you actually need to spend money on. I’ve taken a class that listed a book on the syllabus that collected the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. On the first day of class the professor showed us a website that had all of Emerson’s works available to read for free.

2. You don’t have to ask to leave the classroom.

In high school you had to ask just to go to the bathroom, but college is different. You’re paying to be there, which means you can pretty much leave whenever you want. Of course, I’m not encouraging you to skip class, but if you need to go to the bathroom or take an important call, you can just walk out. Just be sure to do this without distracting other students. They’re paying to be there, too. Just walk out quietly, and if you know ahead of time that you'll have to step out or leave early, sit near the door. Some professors will ask that you not leave the classroom unless you absolutely need to, in which case you should do your best to respect that. Also, if you know that you have to leave class early for whatever reason, it's polite to let the professor know before class starts.

3. Treat your online classes just as seriously as your regular ones.

It’s really easy to not take these classes seriously since there’s not a physical classroom to go to. However, the grades you get in online classes affect your GPA just as much as your regular classes. In my experience, online classes usually have one day a week that your assignments for the week are due. It’s really important not to forget to turn in your weekly assignments on time, especially since some professors will lock you out of the assignment after the deadline. Sometimes when I had assignments due at midnight, I started them at 10:00 or 11:00P.M. This is a horrible idea and you should not do that. When there were technical difficulties or the site was going through maintenance there was no time to deal with the issues and turn in the assignment on time. If you don’t think you can take online classes seriously, avoid taking them so you don’t hurt your GPA.

4. Don’t buy books unless you need them for more than one semester.

You should almost always rent instead of buy your textbooks in order to save money. However, there are some books that you’ll need for more than one semester, such as language learning books. My school uses the same Spanish textbook for the first four Spanish classes. My sister and I saved a lot of money when she bought this book because she used it for her Spanish classes and so did I, instead of renting the book over and over. I like to use the website Slugbooks to find price comparisons before renting or buying a book so I can find the cheapest option. Also, every book I’ve ordered from Chegg has come with something free such as an energy drink and/or a laundry detergent pod.

5. Take advantage of your professors' office hours.

Your professors are there to help you and they want you to succeed in their classes. If you aren’t clear about an assignment then you should ask them about it, even if you think it’s stupid. You might not be the only person to want more clarity and sometimes this leads to them realizing an issue with their instructions and clarifying for the whole class. Whether you send them an email or meet them in their office, it helps for them to see that you are trying to do well in their class. Have a question about an assignment? Ask them. Want advice on your final project? Set up a meeting. Reaching out to them can not only provide clarity, but it also builds a relationship with the professor. If they see that you’re trying to succeed, they’ll be more likely to be accommodating should you need an extension when life gets in the way.

I hope these tips are helpful to you and good luck with your first year of college!