The reverse can be true as well!

I'd advise any new college grad to quickly look into research opportunities, especially if they think they might want to attend grad school or do internships/study abroad. The earlier started with research the better it will look on grad school apps. That said, don't single a prof out for mentorship or research advisory based on whether or not people like him/her in class.

A well-liked, funny, personable prof can end up being a disorganized mess one-on-one, or a control freak, or a total space cadet. Or it may simply be a personality clash. Make sure you really get to know a professor's personal style before signing on to endless hours in the lab one-on-one with him. Spend some time chatting with him after class and in the office hours before you commit yourself to assisting with his huge publication.

You can totally tell who the freshmen are with this.

Ladies, dress appropriately for the weather. Remember that college is not a fashion show.

...Because if you're that freshman girl who decides to wears heels on a rainy day, and you fall and eat shit on your way up to the Business Administration building because the ground's uneven, people like me WILL LAUGH AND POINT at you.

And walking to and from class is NOT enough of a work out to prevent the freshman 15!

Lol I totally learned that! I was thinking, "Oh, but we have brutal hills here!" Yeah, it's still not enough.

tee hee. Where'd you go to school?

My best friend's roommate busted out her "winter" jacket the first weekend in October. We immediately took her to the North Face Store, because she thought that jacket would last her all winter.

In all seriousness, if you're in a different climate than you are used to, it's really important to make sure you have the proper clothing to be comfortable. You can't make friends/study/enjoy college if you're constantly too cold/hot. If you're moving from the south to the north, a good pair of socks will honestly make the difference between skipping class when it's cold and being able to go.

Other advice:
1) Take the syllabus on your first day of class and write ALL your due dates on your planner. I can't tell you how many times that's saved me. Professors WILL NOT remind you you have a paper/midterm in one week.

2) On this same planner, WRITE THE DROP DATE. It SUCKS finding out you failed your calculus exam and can't drop the class.

3) Find out all the free things your campus offers: health care, safe cabs, gym membership, tutoring, etc. These things are awesome and your tuition pays for them. My campus has a program avaliable to all students that does a paper's bibliography for you. Barely anyone knows about it.

1.) Be somebody else. If you weren't happy with who you were in high school, then change it. This is the perfect opportunity to do so. No one knows you. It's like you get to start life all over. And now you're older and more mature. If you were shy, be outgoing. If you were the girl who dressed all in black but you want to try being a bit more "girly", wear a nice shirt and a skirt to class. It's your chance to be different.

2.) Selling back books. It's been said before, but there are usually a good portion of books that the bookstore will not buy back for a significant amount of money. Usually, it's not over half the amount that you originally paid for it. And as a general rule, you'll receive more money for a math or science book (and sometimes language), as opposed to a history or english book. And again, these amounts will drop dramatically if the book is not being used the next semester. And on some campuses, it might be a good idea to post fliers of the books you're selling in academic buildings and dorms. Sell them to students for under the asking price of the bookstore. You'll make more of a profit than if you sold them to the bookstore, and people will obviously be more willing to buy a slightly used book from you for $50, than from the bookstore for $75.

3.) Meet people. My freshman year, I still had a bf from high school who was going crazy because I was now living 600 miles away. He would call ALL the time and would get pissed if I didn't have my cell phone on me. I spent a good portion of my time talking to him, and or despising the girls that were on my dorm floor. Say goodbye to the attached bf and get involved with other activities on campus that will get you out of your dorm room. Meet other people that you may never have talked to. Also, DON'T GO HOME EVERY WEEKEND. You miss out on so much. That is the one reason I was glad I went to a school so far away from home.

3.) Keep track of absences and grades. While you should try not to be absent at all from classes, it does happen. Some professors are more understanding than others when it comes to this. And they will penalize you for missing too many. Keep a list of your classes and how many you've missed. I personally had an Excel spreadsheet with all my classes. For each one, I recorded how many absences I had, and all of my grades for homework, quizzes, and tests. This way you know how you're doing in each class.

4.) Make friends with the computer nerds. Because when something goes wrong with your computer (and it will happen), they're going to be the ones you turn to. And don't be afraid to go to the computer center on campus and ask questions.

Bumping because this is a good thread.

1) Do NOT take a job in retail unless you are SURE you can handle it. I made that mistake, and though I requested time off for finals week and the week before it way in advance, I still had to argue with my manager about my schedule when I got it. You are best off getting an on campus job where they understand about classes and exams and so on.

2) Better yet, if a professor offers a research job or allows you to do extra work for them, take it. Even if you don't get paid, this is great for networking, recommendations, and experience.

3) Realize that if you decide to room with your best friends from freshman year, come Christmas break of your sophomore year, you guys may not be that close. I grew way closer to people I wasn't close to my freshman year, and that happens. Freshman year is so stressful and crazy at times that while you do make some lasting friendships, you may grow closer to others in later years. And thats okay.

4) Try not to have a boyfriend freshman year at all. Most freshman relationships I've seen have ended, and I've seen many people who come in with serious relationships become fulling wrapped up in their relationship. Its sad to see, because they don't get to experience freshman year as fully as they could. I didn't meet my current boyfriend until I was nearly done with freshman year, and I'm so glad of that, because I was well established with friends and activities on campus before he became a part of my life...he wasn't and isn't my whole life, but he is a very good part of it.

Not to mention, call-ins totally suck if your job uses them.

Re the boyfriend, I agree, but in my personal experience I was so naive that if I would have jumped right into the dating different guys thing I don't think I could have handled it. It was nice to have a steady person to help me thru frehsman year. The problem came the next year when I had more confidence and had "outgrown" him and he thought we were getting married.

Just put it this way - college relationships are NOT like hs relationships. :)

I disagree with the boyfriend thing. Just because some people don't stay together doesn't mean you shouldn't date. That is just silly. Dating is good experience for later relationships that could be more serious, and it is definitely possible that a freshman WILL have a good and serious relationship freshman year.

I should have reworded that to say: Don't let you freshman boyfriend (or any boyfriend!) take over your life. College is a very self-oriented time, and you'll need space to let yourself experience and grow. If a relationship is part of that, thats fine, but never let your boyfriend (or girlfriend!) limit your college experience.

And I never said don't date at all! Casual dating is great...I never experienced it before college, and I think (as long as you don't do stupid things while you casually date that give you an unsavory reputation) it is something that everyone should try.

And while I'm on here, I've got two more pieces of advice.

1) When you go to frat parties or house parties, avoid the jungle juice (grain alcohol punch...whatever your student popuation calls it). It tastes like yummy punch, but it will hit you hard, and it will suck. If you want to avoid waking up with your head in the toilet, try to limit yourself on this to one drink at most. And while I'm on the subject, just because mommy and daddy are not there to yell at you for drinking does not mean you can go wild. Be smart about it, not only could you end up spending a night puking your guts up, but if caught you could end up in trouble with the university. Not a great start to your freshman year, right?

2) While I'm not telling you outright not to do it, if you do get a boyfriend as a freshman (or any other time you live in a dorm), be wary of dating someone on your floor. It could work out great, as my sorority sister is still dating her floormate from freshman year...but if something happens or it doesn't end well things could get really really awkward. It happened on my floor freshman year with two next door neighbors. When, after two weeks, it came crashing down (and I do mean crashing)....it just wasn't pretty. We call it floorcest or dormcest, and while I'm not saying DON'T DO IT, I'm going to warn you to proceed with caution.

Agreed - stay away from mixed drinks and shots!!
 

My dad gave me great advice before I left for college. He said "I know you're going to drink, so when you do, stick to beer. Stay away from mixed drinks, because you don't know how strong those guys are going to make them."

I followed his advice, and can't tell you how many nights I ended up carrying home or cleaning up after an inebriated friend who had the "Jungle Juice" or Strawberry Daquiri.

You have a better sense of when you're approaching your limit with beer, and have a better chance to stop before becoming drunk and behaving badly. (I'm assuming everyone will be walking and not driving).