Things I learned in my first year of college
This is more for my reference than anything else, but if you find this info helpful then cool. The ones with *** are the one I found most important or didnāt find on the internet when I was looking for tips.Ā
***Your feet will hurt from walking around so much. Donāt bother getting new shoes to cope because by the time you break those in youāll be used to walking around. Save that money for food.Ā
***Go to career fair. Youāll probably not get the internship or job your first year, but at least youāll know how to dress yourself, research companies, and present yourself.Ā
Go to club meeting where a company rep is present. Company reps have insane memory. Theyāll remember you. Especially if you go see them every time. Helpful for when youāre applying.
Get a foam mattress topper.Ā
Donāt have a crush. Youāll waste so much time thinking about it itās not even funny.Ā
Make friends. Make connections. Have fun. Get lit (safely).
Always plan your safe ride home or youāll spend $56.50 on an uber at 3 am.Ā
Use the free bus rides you get with your tuition.Ā
Always ask for student discounts.Ā
***Donāt just do academics. Having a 4.0 is cool and all, but no company or grad school wants you if thatās the ONLY thing you did.Ā
***Be busy. When youāre busy, you manage your time better and be more productive instead of procrastinating becauseĀ āoh that test is in like a week and I have nothing to do besides that so Iāll do it later.āĀ
***Know your limits.Ā You canāt handle being actively involved in 5 clubs and school. Youāll kill yourself in the process. Limit yourself to 3 clubs because it only gets harder from here.
Join clubs. Find something besides just academics that peaks your interests. Itāll make you a better student and expand your views.Ā
Join one fun club like a sorority and one serious club like business council.Ā
Work out. Youāll gain weight if you donāt. Set a routine in the summer so you can follow during the year when things get busy.Ā
Be safe. Letās be real, itās college and thereās drugs and alcohol everywhere. If you choose to do it, be safe about it. Hereās some safety tips.Ā
Always use a condom. Get them free from your university health center.Ā
If youāre gonna drink for the first time, do it at home or somewhere that you are comfortable and knowĀ
If youāre gonna do drugs, again do it at home or a safe environmentĀ
Donāt ever leave your open drink unattended. Get a new one if you do.Ā
You know when someone is sleazy or creepy. Stay away. If theyāre persistent, give a fake name or number, get some random girls to let you (Oh jessica weāre leaving lets go), or straight up get awayĀ
Never go somewhere alone at night. Even if you have pepper spray.Ā
Visit your family at least twice a semester if you can. They miss you and do a lot for you. Go visit them. I visited mine once a month because empty nest syndrome is real.Ā
Donāt study where your friends are. Youāll get distracted because when itās 3 am and your getting sick of studying, procrastinating with friends seems super fun.Ā
***Study with a group. Sounds counterĀ intuitiveĀ considering my last tip, but for things like ochem, engineering classes, business projects, or whatever, the classes are designed that if you donāt work in groups you will fail. Find a group of people/friends that are actually productive for studying and stick with it. Form a study squad. Join with other squads from time to time.Ā
Donāt eat out a lot. Youāll get fat and broke.
Drink lots of water. Refillable water bottles ftw.Ā
Get off your phone in class. No you canāt pay attention and listen at the same time.Ā
Email your professors. Go to extra review sessions. When youāre .04 off from getting an A this will help you.Ā
***ONLY go to TA sessions if they grade the work and/or actually help you learn. Some TAās are garbage because theyāre required to do it for grad school. But they grade your stuff and if youāre one the few people whoās name they know, thatāll definitely help you. If you learn nothing from them and they donāt grade your stuff, donāt waste your time.Ā
Sleep. That all nighter is worse for you than not knowing anything. Cram the best you can and at least get 3 hours.Ā
Save your notes. Youāll never know when youāll need it, if your friend needs it, or sell it.Ā
***Use a notebook. Donāt write notes on loose leaf paper. Youāll lose track of it. If you take notes on a laptop, use onenote or something idk I have math and science notes, I canāt take that on a laptop.Ā
If youāre business or something along the line of that, look nice to class. Everyone else is too. Donāt have a professor notice you for your scrubbiness. Comb your hair, throw on some mascara, and wear whatever makes you feel good to class.Ā
***If youāre stem or something like that, donāt worry to much about looking nice. Unlike business, the professor is probably dressed scrubbier than you. If you look nice, cool, youāll get noticed for not being scrubby like everyone else.Ā
***Have desk space. Youāre gonna have your laptop, a million papers, and studying utensils out. Have the space for it so you donāt go crazy trying to look for stuff.Ā
***Have a planner. The most important one. Whether it is hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or whatever, have one. You have a lot of stuff to do, and you canāt remember it all. Buy one, print one, use google calender, doesnāt matter just have it.
This might not work for everyone, because some of you are these highly motivated studious students that has their life together, which is awesome please teach me your ways, but if youāre a mess like me, these are some tips I wish I found on a studyblr or college tips.Ā
