General Discussion

...Like about anything in college, really.

I'm a Junior in high-school for now, but time is going by fairly quickly for me nonetheless.

Anyways: Are there any things you were naive about? That you were scared to death about that actually wasn't that bad? Any stories you want to tell? Feel free to talk about anything as long as it goes by FR's rules!

It could be life on campus, daily scheduling, food, safety, saving, deciding majors and minors, working along with college, roommates, time management, organization, room layout, dorms, etc.

Keep a planner. When you get your class schedule, write down the days you have classes and the times that you have them at the top. Leave some space for general notes in the planner, so you can customize it to due dates, appointments, and other things.

Most colleges have a career center, so go check them out as soon as possible! They'll help you write resumes, search for possible jobs, and all sorts of other job related things. Also, meet with your academic adviser. They can help you figure out a specific major if you're undecided, and help tailor your classes to your specific needs and interests.

@HydreigonOxide o: I didn't know about the career center/ academic adviser. Thank you!

Perfect is the enemy of good. An assignment half-done is better than an assignment not done at all.

Your courses will have office hours where you can drop in and ask the professor anything course-related. Use them. Don't be afraid to ask for help; many professors want to see you succeed.

...and you should ask around to make sure you avoid the nasty ones. Mercifully there were very few at my college.

Don't be afraid to ask for help, in general. From students, from your TAs, from anyone who's willing to give it.

Get enough sleep. You don't perform nearly as well if you're sleep deprived.

Don't shut yourself in your room. Part of the traditional model of college is that you spend time around others with different experiences, and learn new things from them. Explore the town, learn some things outside school.

At my college therapy was paid for by student fees; that may not be the case everywhere, though. Look into mental health services if you need them. College is stressful and it can be hard, sometimes. You don't have to face it alone.

Definitely agreed that you need to turn SOMETHING in for all assignments. Getting a 20% grade is better than 0%. Trust me. If you totally miss an assignment, contact your professor as soon as you can. A lot will be willing to let you turn in a late assignment for partial credit, or will give you a different assignment to do for make-up work. But don't abuse the privilege, professors will get a little grumpy when you try that.

Check your email at least daily, but twice would be better. If you don't want to risk forgetting to check your school email, set it up to forward to an address you use more regularly. Almost all communication for classes is done online and you WILL miss important information if you don't check your email.

Please get your flu shot. And any other recommended vaccines. Please. Disease spreads quickly when stressed people are packed close together. You'll save yourself misery and save others as well. Many college health services offer free or discounted vaccines, or if they don't, they can direct you to a clinic that does.

Please eat regular meals, and do your best to keep your diet rounded. You will regret it so badly if you try to live off ramen noodles and cookies. Maybe not now, but in a decade? Yes. You will hate your younger self. Also, a balanced, regular diet will keep your brain happy and functional! And yeah, don't pull all-nighters. Just don't.

If you feel like you're not understanding something in class, address it sooner rather than later. Professors keep office hours, go speak to them, or email them! Or, look into tutoring services at your college. SOMETHING. Don't wait until you're five assignments and three reading chapters behind.

I highly suggest meeting with your assigned academic advisor ASAP when you get to campus and asking them to go over your planned class schedule to make sure you aren't missing a class that you need. Nothing sucks worse than missing a class as a freshman and then needing to stay an entire extra semester as a senior just to take one 400-level class that got delayed because you didn't take a 100-level class that was a prerequisite for a whole chain of classes leading up to that 400-level one :D.

Find something outside of schoolwork to do. Join a club. Do a regular weekly activity. Go see a movie. I'm not saying to slack off on schoolwork, but if you don't give yourself a scheduled break, you will go crazy. I was in three separate clubs/groups in college, they all met regularly, they were pretty much my saving grace. It gave me something to look forward to, things to do, people to hang out with, something other than all science all the time.

On that note, if you're able, take an elective course not related to your major. I was in choir, first because it covered PE credits, then after I filled the PE credits, I stayed in choir just because. I also wanted to do an art class but could never make it work around my required classes.

Consider first and foremost what type of college is right for you. There are a LOT of technical and vocational colleges that offer full certifications for skilled labor jobs in 2 year programs. There are also technical/vocational schools that offer 4 year programs; you graduate with certification AND a degree. Many of my coworkers went to Airframes and Powerplant school; it was an 18 month program that got them their nationally-recognized FAA license, and they received an Associate's Degree in Aviation Maintenance as well. There are also apprenticeship programs that companies like Caterpillar offer, where they hire you, pay for your schooling, and then offer you full-time positions in their companies once you complete the program. If a traditional liberal arts or STEM college isn't getting you excited, something like that might be more your style. I really enjoy being an electrician, and I didn't think I would.

If you DO decide to go to a traditional college, I second basically everything everyone above me said. It's most important to remember that most campuses offer a varied range of good resources for just about any problem you might encounter. Medical, personal, academic, you name it, there's usually someone who spends a good deal of their time untangling those knots for you.

Your professors are your greatest asset. If you struggle, don't wait or hide it. My critical theory class kicked my butt up one side and down the other, and when I told my professor how hard I was struggling, he adjusted a couple assignments for me, and the break allowed me to wrap my brain around the subject enough to catch back up to the rest of the class. Most professors teach because they love their subjects and want other people to love them, too. They don't want to see you fail.

You will need to be self-disciplined. While there are resources if you struggle, you will also be considered an adult. (Freshman life especially is like some weird 50/50 of "need your hand held through everything" and "I expect you to do this on your own") Set alarms. Keep calendars. Check your email. College is your job, your primary function during this time, so treat it with due respect. I had a really hard time with this, because high school was so easy for me I did most of my classes without trying, and I almost bombed my first semester. Professors don't want you to fail, but you will get little sympathy if you're chronically late or skipping class and also falling behind.

It's pretty cool that you're looking forward to your future. C: I hope you do well the rest of the time you're in high school!

I completely agree with what Dinogrrl & Bigwig said, so this is a little redundant, but here's what I've learned.

DEFINITELY GET A FLU SHOT, SLEEP, and eat well. there are tons of resources for eating well on a budget. (here you go)

Homesickness is real and it sucks. I moved 8 hours away from home for uni. It's the best thing I ever did for myself, but the first month was a blur of loneliness and tears. I had never been homesick before. My feelings caught me way off guard. Just know it gets better. You can't change it, can't hide from it. Just go out there and meet new people, get distracted. Eventually, it'll go away. It may come back, but soon you'll have a new home to miss.

Take chances. I applied for a 2-year leadership-building volunteer program I didn't expect to get. I got it. It changed my life. I met most of my friends through there, got an amazing faculty mentor, and learned exactly how NOT to organize things. My mentor hooked me up with the research of my dreams. I was one of the first ones in the lab, now my face is plastered over fliers and posters for the thing. I started college as a shy, anxious freshman and end it a leader thanks to this program.

Roommates can suck. I've been through at least one a year... in fact, I'm on roommate #5. Be open. Communicate. Don't be passive-aggressive. Instead, take a deep breath and confront them head-on. But understand that sometimes, it just won't work. If they're doing things that make you uncomfortable or doing things to harm themself (including not eating, no sleep, too much caffeine, etc), you need to get outside help. Contact an RA, RD, CA, faculty-- anything. It is not your job to take care of someone. All you can do is offer to be there.

Nobody cares yet everyone does. Nobody cares if you show up to class in onsie pajamas. In fact, they're probably muttering "same" under their breath. But people will care if you're struggling, mentally, academically, or physically. College campuses are magical places where everyone is in the same boat of academic suffering. There are so many people who want to make a change in the world and help others. Someone will always care about you, not what you look like or who you are. Remember that.

Be a part of the community. Volunteer! Join a group! Join a bunch of groups them pick the one you like best! Seriously, this is the best advice I can give. get out there. and remember: nobody cares if you just join randomly one day without knowing anyone. It happens all the time. Also, definitely do events with your residence hall! People who dont know anyone tend to end up there. I loved by house in the dorms. We had tons of fun together, and i miss them! Take advantage of living literally right inside of a somewhat exclusive community. (protip: sometimes newer dorms... are worse)

Just ask. You think a professor's research is interesting? Ask them about it. Know someone cool in class? Just talk to them. It's not what you know, it's who you know. So get knowing!

Perfect grades are unnecessary. This is coming from a premed honors student. I had a mental breakdown when I lost my 4.0. You know what? it feels amazing now because that pressure is gone!

Always write something. Never leave a test page blank. Never just not turn in something. You might surprise yourself with being right, or your prof may take pity on you and give you partial credit.

Don't take on too much. You need to function as a human before you can function as a student, employee, volunteer, or friend. You cannot feed someone from an empty breadbasket. Your health is your first priority, then family, then school and things that make you happy.

You will be confused. Get used to it.

You can and you WILL make a difference. It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the horrible things happening. If you are kind, respectful, and supportive, you will do good. It's the little things that count. Simply by existing you change the course of the future-- it's your choice whether you have a positive or negative influence. Do something small to make someone's day better.

and my final bit of advice is... you'll figure it out. it's become my tagline. everything works out eventually, you just might not see it yet. Go out there. Get a degree. Change the world. Just do it. You're going to be scared, overwhelmed, tired, frustrated, and sad. But you'll figure it out.

If you have any questions, please ask! I've learned so much over these past years.

I don't go to uni in the US so our system is a little different, and it seems like you've already gotten a lot of great advice already. So I'm just gonna say that your first weeks of uni, you totally should say yes to every invitation you're given, go on all the social gatherings arranged for new students. This applies even if you, like me perhaps, don't generally like typical parties or whatever. By saying yes you are signalling that you want to be approached, and that you're here to get friends (which you'll definitely need). If you from the beginning chose to stay home at instead of getting to know new people, you just might blow your shot and make it a lot harder for yourself later.

Later, when things have calmed down and you've gotten to know people, saying no and staying home even if there's a 'big event' is totally fine because by then you've kinda broke through the ice.

@Vrachos Whaaat? Courses have office hours? That's new. Thank you for letting me know! Also its probably a good thing I've been trying to get out of my comfort zone. It's going to help when exploring.

@Dinogrrl I'd assumed nobody would let you turn assignments in late or make them up! That's somewhat less stress on my part. Class communication is typically online--- that's also somewhat new. Thank you! Academic advisors..? I'll try to remember that o:

@Bigwig Nice username, first of all! I didn't know that there were those types of colleges ---- I'll keep that in mind when searching ^^ Thank you for the good wishes!

@quincely Thank you for the resources! Those will come in handy. Ah, homesickness. I didn't think of that o: I will be better prepared for when that happens, I hope. So, apply for basically anything that you can handle? I'll try! So you usually can change your roommate if the one you have is too much for you? ---Ohh, that was a good reminder that everybody else very well may be/ is in the same boat as you! Thanks for that. You also had a good reminder to not bite off more than you can chew. Thank you for the good advice! I will ask you if I have anything more questions o:

@Kalante Ohh I didn't think about wearing a mask when ill or others closeby are ill. That will help. Also having a go-to place in times of stress will probably help a lot. Thank you for that. I forgot about ratemyprofessor! That is a good resource.

@Anchoram Thank you for telling me that it'll be easier to get myself out there the first few weeks! It definitely would be harder and more stressful to wait.

You've all helped a lot--- I will keep it in consideration for the future. Thank you all so much for your advice!