There are some things I wish I knew before going to college. Like how you can fail a midterm and still get a B for your final grade. Or when you think you can get up for 8 A.M.’s since you did it for high school. If you’re going into your freshman year, here are 31 quick college tips from a college junior.
1. Go to office hours
2. If you go in to the dining hall, you will most likely come out smelling like the dining hall
3. The laundry room is survival of the fittest…it’s a jungle in there
4. There are people who will stop the washing machine halfway through the cycle and toss your still soapy laundry into a dryer
5. The freshman 15 can happen to anyone
6. Take advantage of the gym
7. STUDY STUDY STUDY
8. If you use Quizlet or Studyblue and you copy/paste the information from the professor’s slides onto the cards, don’t make them public. You might just get an email from your professor telling you to take them down if they’re copyrighted. Unless you’re smart and don’t have your username include your last name
9. Try to not procrastinate
10. Make a four-year-plan and map out which classes you’ll need to take each semester
11. During class selection time, have backups for your backups
12. Don’t expect to always get the perfect schedule
13. If you’re not 100% sure that you’re a morning person, don’t take 8A.M.’s
14. Join clubs, volunteer, get a job…try to get involved in some way
15. Remember to do your homework
16. If you do poorly on an exam, don’t worry. It does not mean you will fail the class
17. If you can’t sit still for three hours, don’t take a 3-hour-long class even though it’s only once a week. You will regret it.
18. Check ratemyprofessor.com, but don’t live by it
19. It’s okay to sit alone (whether that’s in the dining hall, a lecture or at the library)
20. Get sleep
21. If you see someone from high school, try not to trip in front of them. If you do, know that I’m right there with ya
22. If you’re in the Northeast/colder region, bring a winter jacket and some snow boots
23. Make sure to have a pair of rain boots and an umbrella for those rainy days
24. There are some courses where you can miss almost every class and still get an A (but it’s not recommended and most classes don’t fit this criteria)
25. Yes, some professors do take attendance and call on you
26. Depending on the size of the college you’re attending, you can be in a lecture with as many as 300-350 people. I had one professor who actually admitted to getting stage fright before each lecture because of the large class size…
27. Wait to buy your textbooks until after the first class. The last thing you want to do is buy a textbook only to have the professor say that it’s not required
28. If you do need to buy a textbook, don’t buy it from the local college bookstore. You can find it much cheaper online (most likely)
29. Don’t lose your room key unless you want to burn about $100
30. Take your student ID with you everywhere
31. RELAX AND HAVE FUN
