After having a semester of college under my belt now, I have asked around for tips that second-semester freshmen have found helpful in their time here.
I sent my floor's group chat a form to fill out with the best tips they could give to any incoming freshman next year and these were the responses:
1. Check RateMyProfessor religiously.
2. Use your planner and use it correctly.
3. Actually go to class.
4. Be prepared to not be friends with everyone around you.
5. You will want some alone time, and that is completely normal.
6. You don't need to be with your roommate 24/7.
7. Invest in the college student Spotify and Hulu deal.
8. Get a planner and calendar, and write out all important due dates from each syllabus.
9. Leave your door open to meet new people.
10. Speak up in classes, it makes lectures more rich and easier to understand.
11. Do NOT pre-order books, wait for the syllabus.
12. Don't procrastinate, assignments in college are not like the ones in high school.
13. Buy air fresheners.
14. Take advantage of the gym.
15. Be more open to talking to people in the first few weeks of school.
16. Join clubs and activities.
17. Bring as many pairs of leggings as possible.
18. Don't buy napkins and silverware, those are available across campus.
19. Bring more hangers than clothes.
20. Be yourself, 100% of the time.
21. Don't wait until dead week/finals to get your shit together.
22. Don't overextend yourself.
23. Learn how to manage your time well. School, social life, and jobs are hard to balance.
24. Be social.
25. Be confident.
26. Pay attention in class and take notes that actually matter.
27. Take care of yourself, physically and mentally.
28. Learn how to do laundry before summer is over.
29. Sort your laptop files. Make each class easy to find and you wont have lost assignments you want to reference later.
30. Use Box.com to be able to save your Microsoft Word documents and print them anywhere.
31. Carry around a reusable water bottle, it will make life so much easier.
32. Check your school email, all the time.
33. Start studying now.
34. College is high school on steroids. The same drama, different people.
35. Don't spend your money on stupid stuff. Did you really need to go out to eat 4 days in a row? THE ANSWER IS NO. Did I do this? YES
