In college, everything changes. I know, shocker right? You no longer get those all those extra credit opportunities and the teachers do not remind you of when things are due all the time. You are responsible for getting things done on time and make sure it's quality work.
During my freshman year I learned a lot and some of these tips below may seem like common sense things to know, but trust me when I say many students learn these things for the first time.
1. You are about to embark on a journey that will be terrifying, exciting, and downright unpredictable.
2. Make mistakes and learn from them.
3. Social media is a cultivated and edited depiction of life. Don’t take it to heart if your life isn’t as “picture perfect” as everyone else’s.
5. You will get homesick.
6. Every once and awhile, spend a Saturday night in. Watch bad Netflix movies and eat take-out with your roommate.
7. Your professors are real people with super cool accomplishments. Take the time to learn about them.
8. Sit in the front of your lecture halls.
9. You’re wasting your own money if you don’t go to class.
10. A test could kill your grade and there is minimal amounts of extra credit.
11. You won’t have to worry about #10 if you go to class and ask for help when you need it.
12. Talk to your RA, they’ve been doing this longer than you!
13. All of the people you meet the first two weeks probably won’t be your best friends, but two or three of them could be!
14. You won’t be able to use the same tricks from high school to finish an assignment the night before and still get a decent grade.
15. It’s okay to switch your major and/or career aspirations.
16. You don’t have to double major in biomedical engineering and astrophysics with minors in Greek and Human Anthropology to sound interesting.
17. Choose your majors/minors based on what you’re passionate about and people will love talking to you about it.
18. Work out.
19. Think of your roommate as a temporary sibling: you’ll probably want to stab them at some point while planning their demise; but find some love in your heart and accept them.
21. You will get A LOT of FREE stuff: t-shirts, food, water bottles, etc.
22. Join clubs. If you’re not sure about which ones to join, go to a bunch of interest meetings to see what they’re all about.
23. Make upperclassmen friends that are on an academic path similar to where you want to be in a couple of years.
24. Get out of the dorm and explore campus.
25. Sit in the quad and people watch; you’ll be amazed at the little community that exists around you.
26. Let go of the past and be the best version of yourself.
27. Study, Read, Study.
28. You thought you didn’t like coffee? I guarantee you’ll find yourself drinking some during finals week.
29. Yes, finals really are that awful.
30. You will need to drink water.
31. The Freshman 15 is not a joke. Don’t stress about it, but stay healthy.
32. Go to athletic events. Football, basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse are super fun to watch!
33. You might lose touch with people you were close to in high school and that’s okay.
34. Don’t sacrifice your ideals to be cool or to keep friends.
35. You made it into your college which means you can succeed. Don’t ever give up.
36. You’re responsible for your actions now; with more freedom comes more responsibility.
37. Your syllabus is the bible of each course. It can help you or it can kill you.
38. Remember when teachers reminded you about every assignment 3-5 times, not anymore. It’s very possible to show up on test day without knowing there is a test. Don’t be that kid.
39. Go ahead and invest in 3 pairs of headphones: one for the dorm and one for your book bag. The other is for when you inevitably lose one of the other two.
40. Even if you get money from your parents, budget it and don’t mindlessly spend.
41. Pick a go-to “I’m very late” outfit. You’ll save time on those mornings when you have 10 minutes to get to class and a 20 minute commute.
42. Get involved with the community around your campus: schools and churches are always looking for volunteers!
43. Be aware of your surroundings and know emergency contact information for the Dept. of Safety.
44. Have a Plan B, C, and D ready all the time. Stay flexible.
45. Try your hardest not to be flaky especially when you commit to something.
46. When you do commit, write it down somewhere.
47. You need to find a balance between your school work and your social life to have the best college experience.
48. You really don’t need to pull all nighters.
49. Sleep, but not through your morning classes.
50. You need to unplug at least once a month.
51. Netflix is completely worth the 7.99 a month.
52. Handwritten notes are more effective. You won’t have to worry about a dead laptop battery or being distracted by social media.
53. Amazon Student is a god send.
54. Did I already mention how important the syllabus is?
55. Zumba and Kickboxing group exercise classes take the guesswork out of a full body workout. Try it!
56. Grab some friends and take a weekend trip to a nearby city.
57. You can always find uber codes around the Internet. Try popular social media accounts first.
58. SAT AND ACT SCORES DON’T MATTER. Don’t bring it up.
59. Be respectful to those with differing opinions than yours. Have enriching discussion rather than forceful argumentation.
60. Take advantage of the bounty of seminars, talks, and programs that take place on your campus daily.
61. “Class is canceled.” emails will take your day from 0 to 100 real quick.
62. Have enough underwear to last two weeks, you won’t do laundry weekly; I promise you that. Separate your colors, too. Darks, lights, whites. Cold water for no shrinkage and saving the environment.
63. WiFi is not trustworthy on Sundays at 9pm so don't procrastinate doing your homework.
64. No one expects you to have your life figured out now. Some don’t even have it figured out at graduation 4 years later.
65. You might have forgotten the art of making friends. So did everyone else.
66. You are not entitled to make ups or extra credit or anything. You have to work for what you want.
67. College is hard, but also the best time of your life.
68. Stay positive and stay organized.
69. Maybe, you didn’t pick the right place for you. That’s 100% okay. Transfer somewhere that will make YOU happy.
70. Remember that your admissions department chose to accept you and deny hundreds or thousands of others. If you’re EVER feeling like you don’t belong academically, you are meant to be wherever you are.
