1. GET OUT OF BED AND GO TO CLASS
The first most important thing that every college student needs to here over and over again is you do need to go to class. Listen you need to go to class, and you need to take notes! You may think you can “get by” just reading the textbook, but here is a little pro tip: your professors are taking the exam questions from the actual lessons that they are teaching. College is expensive. Do not just do all of the fun social things. You have to go to class and learn. In college, no one will force you to go to class which is something I learned the hard way. I may have hit the snooze button a little too many times that lead to me sleeping threw class. Some classes may require attendance, but even then you have a choice to go to class or not you are willing to sacrifice 10% of your grade for an afternoon nap. Regardless of whether or not your professor will care, you should care about going to class. It is, after all, the reason you are in college.
2. DON'T BE HARD-HEADED AND ASK FOR HELP
Another thing I have learned while I have been in college is do not be afraid to lean on others. Part of being an adult means learning your limits. To grown, it is truth that we must push the boundaries of these limits, however it is also okay to seek outside support when you are pushed to your breaking point. When you feel as though something is too much to bear, do not hesitate to tell a friend you trust, professor or even a university counselor. Being away from home for the first time is scary and it is a lot to deal with all at once but everyone coops differently. Having a strong group of friends to lean on in hard times will help you enjoy your time in college. I truly believe that without the support of my amazing new friends that I have made just in the first semester of college that I would not have finished strong, and been ready to come back for the spring.
3. YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING BUT YOU DON'T
The next and possibly one of the most important thing I believe all college kids need to know and understand, is that nothing is really for sure. Although this is the most important it can also be one of the most difficult things to come to to terms with. For a lot of people, myself included, being unsure of things can cause a lot of stress in their life. But what does stressing about something really accomplish? Absolutely nothing. Stress does nothing for a person besides hold them back from really enjoying their time.
4. JUST ENJOY COLLEGE
Finally, do not expect too much from college. Many of my classmates expected college to be the best years of their lives and that everything would be perfect because they did well in high school and received admission into a great school, and then we took our first round of midterms. College is not going to be perfect and simply attending one will not make you any better than the person you were before you arrived. I like to think of college as more of a tool. It can only be valuable to you if you make use of it. College is not going to be a magical place where suddenly everything makes sense and you are set for the rest of your life. It is a place where you will make mistakes, laugh, cry, figure things out and realize you know even less than you thought you did. However, at the end of it, you will come our slightly more prepares to live as an independent adult. That alone means something.
