They say that you learn a lot about yourself and others in college. I have learned a lot about college life and these are the best 10 tips I can give to someone right now.
1. Never sign up for an 8 a.m. class.
Some think they can conquer the world. I thought I could wake up one day a week for an 8 am class. I couldn't. Save yourself. Don't. Do. It
2. Procrastination doesn't help anybody.
I procrastinated a ton in high school and still passed with high honors. However. Professors can tell when an essay was done the night before. Or a project that you've known about forever, starting it the weekend before it due.
3. Everyone has a different schedule.
I made some really great friends during the first week of school (it was actually orientation) but we don't always get to see each other every day because my schedule is so crazy busy and doesn't always line up with theirs. It's sad - yes - but if they're really your friends, they will still try and make time for you when you're available
4. Nobody has the same background as you.
I come from a city where there were (almost) 2,000 kids in my high school and a total of 5 high schools in my city. Coming here and meeting people whose entire population is the size of my school. I've met people with a smaller graduating class, than the amount of students in one classroom. Sometimes I forgot not everyone has seen snow too.
5. Cafeterias just suck in general.
I thought that the college food would be so good and I was so ready to be done with 12 years of cafeteria food. But then I ate in the dining hall and realized I missed high school food
6. Making friends is way easier than I thought.
When I came to school I was so nervous that I wasn't going to make any friends that they could handle how weird and annoying I am. But I've met some of the best people ever. Whether they're 16 steps from my door. Or 1600 steps from my door. I'm so eternally grateful
7. You're on a new adventure.
As much as you think you're going to miss your friends from high school, you won't. I mean don't get me wrong - I miss the people I used to laugh with every day of my life - and while being away is hard, you have to remember they're on the next adventure in their life and they're doing what's best for them and you should be happy for them
8. Always try on IB/AP exams.
I took IB Language and Literature in high school but didn't actually "try" on the test because of multiple reasons. But I am now enrolled in English 101 and let me tell you if I hear another speech about how to write an introduction paragraph or thesis statement I think I will stab my eyes out. So try. Even if you think you can't. Try.
9. Always have a planner/calendar
In college, you get really stressed out sometimes. Okay - a lot of the time - but being able to write down all of your important dates, is such a good stress reliever. Instead of having all of these jumbled thoughts in your brain, they are now all laid out for you to see, organized and chronologically so you can see what to focus on first.
10. Explore your college town.
I love the city of Moscow. I thought it was a really small town, but after exploring it, it's actually quite big. I love being able to go downtown to grab a bite to eat or even going to the market in the summer, or and evening drive to Taco Bell.
