College can be a scary place if you are not prepared for it. It is a large change from high school and if you live on campus in some form, you had better learn to float quickly! The first semester you have in college is perhaps your most important one and you can easily fall into many different traps. My first semester I may have done well in grades but I missed out on a lot and regret it. So here are some tips to do well in college and also learn about life.
* The first week of living in a new place can be uneasy. You have to learn how to get along with a roommate or two, how to do laundry if you haven’t already, and eat semi-decently. After moving into your new dorm room and have it set up with your roommate(s), keep the dorm room door open during the day! I cannot stress this enough. With the door open, you will see many new faces and they will see you and your room. Your room is going to make you a lot of friends. Play some video games if you have them, other gamers will often pass your room and if the door is open they can see that you both share a similar interest. Since most new students do not know many people on campus, they search for new friends within the first week. By the time the first semester is over, finding friends can be a lot more difficult.
* You have advisers, use them! Try and meet with them at least once before the end of your first semester, that way you can discus what you want out of college and the best ways of getting it. They help with deciding what classes to take and if you are in the correct major.
* Your first year, you should concentrate on general education requirements. Those classes can give you a great idea of other majors that you may want to switch to. If you suddenly get the urge to switch majors after your first year, you may have taken classes you didn’t need to so it is best if you can change majors early.
* Get out of the dorm and go to a party or two. How about a campus event instead? The idea is to make new friends or find groups that share similar interests.
* Do not drink alcohol until you are 21. This should give you time to get used to college life without having to do so with a hangover. Another major thing with this tip, is that some colleges or states have very heavy penalties for being caught drinking while underage. Aside from the normal laws I mean. In my college, if you are caught drinking before your 21, you are barred from taking certain majors! Want to be a teacher? Well, you can’t if you are caught!
* The credit card is not a sometimes item. Use it rarely! Use it for textbooks or major items. Use it in an emergency only! Credit card companies make huge bucks on college students who do not understand the workings of the credit card well. We all have to deal with student debt, but there is no need to have credit card debt too!
* Do your homework, including those extra credit assignments! If you are having trouble, ask for help from another student. You can not only make a new friend, but your grades should improve.
* Attend class as much as humanly possible, especially up to the first test or exam. Each professor is different, so the notes you take in class are very important to study from. Often, your professors may add things not found in the book to their lectures, so you had better have been in class and taken notes.
* Keep at least one roll of toilet paper in your dorm at all times. Janitors may put new rolls in themselves, but remember that students like to have fun with these rolls. So it is not uncommon to have a new roll used up within two hours, thanks to someone who likes to flush it all or try to clog the toilets. If you have your own supply, then you are set no matter what the supply level is with the dorm.
* My most important tip? Be open to new ideas and people! College is a time to find yourself and explore the world. Chances are you have not met someone who believes in a certain philosophy or certain interests. Give them a chance, perhaps you will learn something new. College is perhaps the best way to learn tolerance.
College is not all about getting that degree and your favorite job! You learn a lot about life and yourself through college. I wish I had found tips for college before I started out. Most of my tips involve meeting new people, and I cannot stress that enough. Going off to college is a big time for anyone, remember that all college students have to make the big change too. You are not alone, and friends are there to help support you.
