what is some advice you would give to a college freshmen?

Question

i will be attending college as a freshman this fall and i was wondering if anyone had advice for me? like what i should and should not bring or how i should manage my time. stuff like that.

Answer 1

Stick to it and don't quit! The world will be yours if you schedule your time as well, so buy an agenda! Good luck!

Answer 2

Are you staying in a dorm? If so- SHOWER SHOES are a definite must. You need flip flops for the shower because they are GROSS. You will also need something to carry your shower stuff back and forth to the shower. And you will need a robe for the walk of course. Let's see.. I had a mini-fridge/microwave in my dorm room, and while the refridgerator was not used a lot, the microwave definitely was. If you have a meal plan, you will probably just be storing leftovers. It sucks to have to walk all the way down the hall to microwave something, so you may want to get a microwave.
If you are sharing a dorm room, one big piece of advice i would give you is COMPROMISE. I roomed with a stranger and thank goodness we got along, but I have also lived with strangers where we did NOT see eye to eye. If you can talk about something that is bothering you and come to a compromise, you will both save yourself alot of trouble. When you start leaving notes instead of actually talking face to face, things can get ugly.
If you are sharing a room, you should probably get a sleep mask. My roommate and i would use these when the other one had to stay up late working on a paper. Big help.
Hmm what else.. Dry Erase Board. In the dorms, everyone has one of these on their door. It's an easy way to leav eyour roommate messages, let people know where you are, and also to leave messages on the doors of your friends.
Check with your school and see what size beds they have. Some have extra long beds and you have to buy extra long twin sheets instead of regular.
Pajama pants! As a freshman, you are going to get the early bird classes that noone else wants. Some days you will jus twant to roll out of bed and go to that 8am class. On that note, you may want some energy drinks or coffee too :p If it's difficult for you to nap with sun coming in the window, you might want to invest in a thick window shade. I had 2 semesters where i had an 8am then 11am and boyyyyy did i love those 1 1/2 hr naps in btwn!

I can't think of anything else for the dorm right now, but i do really want to mention the social aspect. You are going to have access to about anything you want, but please be careful. College can be alot of fun and the best time of your life, but it can also be dangerous. Always watch how much you drink, and always watch your actual drink. If you put it down for a second and look away, get a new one. Don't feel pressured to drink too much or do anything you don't want to do. Noone is going to think less of you for saying no, and if they do- you don't want to be around that person anyway.
I hope i've helped you~ good luck and have fun! Just don't forget to study too :p



Also, get on Facebook.com
I WISH this was available when i was a freshman! You can post all of your classes on facebook and it will show you your classmates who have also registered on facebook. It's a very good way to connect to classmates and it makes it much easier to find someone to study with or ask questions about class.

Answer 3

Learn that college is not just about higher education. I have been to two different colleges and am about to go to a third (and hopefully final) one. Yes, you need to learn about the different things involved in your major but that isn't the whole college experience.

You will have a new found freedom in college that you haven't had in highschool. No parents forcing you to study... no one telling you to study for that matter. Hell, the teachers don't care just so long as you are forking over the money for the classes. You are going to have a million distractions a day. Parties, intramural sports, chilling with the other folks on your floor. I'm not saying don't do any of that, because that is half of what college is. Just make sure that when you go off, learn that there is a time to work and a time to play. Set time aside in order to do these things. Use partying and fun time as a reward for hard work.

Don't ditch classes if you don't need to. Trust me, you don't have to go to class in most colleges. You also won't learn what the teacher finds important in a particular chapter if you don't attend. 85% of test questions, in a typical class, will come from what the teacher has to say in the classroom.

When you find out who your roomate is (and you will have that info a few months in advance) call her. Talk about who is going to bring what so that you can cut down on room clutter. If she has a TV, you obviously don't have to go get one.

Make sure to have a computer. Laptop; desktop; doesn't matter. Most colleges these days use the internet as a gateway for learning. You need info for an essay in English Composition? Google has it. Missed a day of class and need the notes? Chances are, a classmate took notes and can get together with you so that you can take them down. A lot of teachers actually post the notes online on their web page so that you can get these things.

Find a hobby. Something to take your mind off of the daily grind. College can get very tedious. If you don't have something to occupy yourself with, you can start to lose focus or control. Join an intramural/varsity sport. Join Greek Life. Join a club at school, it doesn't matter just have something to do when you have nothing else to do.

Take it from a person who has been through this... a lot.
1. Study
2. Attend
3. Join Activities
4. Make Friends
5 - 1 Billion. Have fun in college.

Answer 4

I've been in college for a couple of years now and the best advice I have is to find or create study groups. That way you can distribute outlines of what each person is responsible for and then meet up once a week and summarize everything and help eachother with things you don't understand or to just discuss ideas further.
And around campus I see a lot of people with laptops(notebooks.)instead of regular paper notebooks...I guess it's easier, but I normally just write in the book iteself.
For time management I'd say never take more units than you absolutely need to. If you only need 12 units then only take 12 units unless you know for a fact that you can handle more than 12 units. You'll have more time for homework, as well as for yourself. And if there is something you don't understand go to the instructors' office hours and ask for help.
Also never sell your books back to the school book store.(You might get half of what you spent on them if you're lucky.)
If you can find a book for cheaper online or at another retailer other than the school bookstore purchase it there.(cheapbooks.com is one site.)
Major in something that interests you, that way you're more likely to want to go to class and enjoy your classes.

Answer 5

Once you step foot into those college doors... get in there and do what you gotta do! Remember- you are there to get a Degree, and successfully complete all your courses. It won't be easy, but always believe in yourself. Think of how far you've come, and believe it or not- 4 years will fly by quickly! Stay focused in your studies, and if you need help, ASK. Don't fall behind in your school work, and STUDY like a mad woman gone crazy. College is different from high school... TEST are the biggest factors!
Good Luck to ya Girl

Answer 6

here's a few words of advice from a college sophmore:

1. be careful at parties! the date rate drug have become so prevalent these days on campuses across the nation -- be safe!
2. definitely take school seriously. it's hard freshman year because you NEED to be social as well. but academic probation SUCKS -- and impedes on your social life later on!
3. don't be afraid to ask people for help (i.e. professors, friends, advisors, etc.). i got Bs in classes I should've gotten As in because i was too scared to ask for help!
4. be yourself! college is filled with SO many different types of people. do what you like, and you'll have a great time!

Answer 7

The best advice I can give you is focus on your goal and dont let others draw you away from what you want to do. I have so many friends who went to college their first few months and ended up dropping out because they wanted to party 24/7 so just make smart decisons.

Answer 8

Here are some good things to have if you live in a dorm:

--A mini refrigerator (if it is allowed)
--A mini microwave (again, if it is allowed)
--A trunk that you can lock and which has a good lock on it
--Extra sheet sets (dorm beds are usually Twin XL, which is longer than a standard twin set--you can get sets at Bed, Bath and Beyond or Linens and Things, but you can also find them at places like Target right before school starts)
--Extra pillows
--Extra blankets
--Extra towels and washcloths
--A laundry basket, detergent, and dryer sheets (plus a few rolls of quarters for the laundry machines)
--A fan
--A small boombox or some other way to play your music
--A computer (that's a no-brainer)
--A calling card so you can call home, or a cell phone plan that gives you free long distance
--A decent desk lamp
--Plenty of snack foods and easy to fix foods that you can fix in your room because you aren't always going to feel like going to the cafeteria
--A first aid kit
--Favorite homey things like a quilt, or a favorite framed print, or some pictures of you and your friends

Leave really expensive or rare things like collectibles and jewelry at home. If you absolutely want to take a few nice pieces of jewelry, don't take them off!

If you are living on campus, schedule your classes so you have a break in between each one. Spend those breaks reviewing what you just did in class and making an outline of your notes. Trust me on this, because it is too hard to do it all at one time when test time rolls around. If you develop good daily study habits, you will be able to study for exams really easily, and you will also have plenty of time to socialize.

If you are shy, try your best to get over it. Don't go overboard, but try to get to know each of your professors. Don't kiss their butts, but do show up for consultation at office hours, even if you have to make up something to discuss. The better your relationship with your professors, the smoother things will go. You will also get better grades and more attention from them if you are more than just a random name and face.

Choose your friends wisely. Yes, it's fun to party and get crazy, but you cannot live your entire life like that. You are going to college to get an education, not to learn to drink a whole gallon of rum without passing out. Be choosy, and pick friends that you want to still be friends with 40 years from now.

If you have a steady sweetie now, sit down and have a discussion. Ideally, unless you are going to college together, you should break up, or at least agree to see other people. You will be meeting lots of neat people, and being in a serious, committed relationship with someone who is 500 miles away is just too stressful. If you have to break up, do it gently, and try to stay friends. The real fact is that if you are meant to be together, you will end up together anyway, so keep that in mind.

Open a bank account as close to campus as possible. Many colleges and universities have their own credit unions for students, and they have branches and ATMs on campus. That makes financial stuff much easier, and if your parents want to send you money, they can simply set up regular wire transfers from their bank account to yours.

Study hard, play hard, try everything once, unless it is dangerous, try to not get arrested, be open to new experiences, try to make at least one good friend who is someone you would never have normally met if you had stayed home, and have a super great time.

Good luck--I envy you :) Going off to college is a great experience.

Answer 9

Attend every class, study regulary. This is very effective and you don't have to suffer/stay awake during exams.

Join few extracurricular activities which you enjoy. Socialize.

Enrich your skills and knowledge in the global perspective.

Answer 10

It might come as rather a shock to you that there is no one but you to motivate yourself.....no one is making you go to class, or do your homework, or anything like that. You have to learn very good time management skills.

And bring a fridge and a microwave