Impart your wisdom to next year's freshmen...

[Hungry4Righteousness]

u'll need good Christian friends...learn time management...and share as many books as you can rather than buying them...buy books u must have online

 

[tck1987]

Just remember that if at first you are having a tough time adjusting and feel like you are having a very misserable time at first, it's normal. As you get to know people, and learn where all your classes are you will feel more and more at home. So my advice is pretty much just keep going, one day at a time and you'll be surprised at not wanting to go home for summer.

 

[Echoespeak006]

Definitely GO TO CLASS. It's tempting not to since no one is forcing to go, but you are paying for your education, so milk it for all its worth.

Eat healthy. I know this sounds corny, but those early years are important because if you can figure out how to eat healthy when you're young and starting out, it will stay with you as you get older. Besides, its gets harder and harder to work off the freshman 15 (or 20 or 40) as you become increasingly busy in school. Take advantage of that free on-campus gym membership.

Find good, quality friends. Like someone said, not everyone is your friend. Not everyone is going to be a good influence in your life, either. The sooner you can network with a solid set of Christian-minded friends, the better.

Develop a healthy way to deal with stress. College can become overwhelming at times. Find a practical, and healthy way to deal with things early on. (Exercise, sing, run, pray, whatever.)

Enjoy college. It'll end before you realize it.

 

[Asherz]

It is OKAY to not have a major, or not have any clue what you want to do yet. You have plenty of time to discover this. Take classes in things that you think you're interested in and see if you really like it. I will add though, if you are thinking about a math/science major, get started on your math and say... chemistry early. If you change your mind, you will likely get some gen ed out of them and some misc. credits, so don't feel like it was a waste of time.

 

[Shyguyelite]

YES!!! SHE IS RIGHT!!

EAT HEALTHY!!!!

And study. You can never again get a good college GPA. Its a one shot deal. Ok ok, its not, you can always come back and spend $100000 and take classes to get your average up to a 3.999, but it will never be a 4.0 ; )

YOU NEVER GET AS GOOD OF A FIRST TRY AS THIS!!!

DONT MISS THE SHOT, OR YOU WILL REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!! Ok, just kidding, but don't waste it.

 

[austrianfoster]

just be cool. relax and enjoy yourself, just not too much.

austrianfoster

 

[Cynthia85]

It's okay to wait a year before going to school. It's okay to take a break and think about what you really want to do with your life then to waste all the money.

 

[Matt.9:22]

no matter what anybody tells you....

...you have to go to class. It's the difference between surviving college and thriving at college.

...you can not party every night. At least not and acchieve your goal. Partying like everything else, has to be done in moderation.

...Not everyone has your best interest in mind. That guy who tells you he loves you, that guy who has threee DVDs for 5 bucks, that girl who just wants you to know about that hot check ring (duh)...don't care what happens to you tomorrow.

...your mom was right. Whatever it was, she was right. Make your bed, eat healthy, do your homework before you go out...she was right.

...This is a big deal. You only get a few whacks at it so make 'em count.

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[BeautyForAshes]

I completed undergrad in '97 but I do have some advice..

1. GO TO CLASS (notice a theme here? lol)

2. Check out your professor's office hours and take the time to visit them. This not only allows them to put a name with your face but it also shows the professor that you have an interest in the class - which may come back to benefit you when he/she's grading assignments or when you need recommendations (which you will) for various things such as scholarships, grad school, jobs, etc. Relationship building is an important part of college and it can also sometimes mean the difference between pass and fail if you’re on the edge.

3. Get and use a planner. Doesn't matter if its a blackberry, Franklin Covey, or whatever. As long as its something that you can write down assignments and appintments in.

4. Find the library. I know that sounds funny, but I’m serious. Figure out how to find it and use it. At larger Universities they offer tutorials on how to use the Library system. Be humble enough to take one, or simply say hello to the staff and ask how their system works. Don’t depend simply on your facility with the internet to do all of your research; books actually have some rather good qualities. Many outside materials for classes can only be found within a library. Also, scope out a good study spot and make appointments with yourself to be there at least 4x a week.

5. Check out Rush/Recruitment. Now I know some people make take issue with this but I do think you should go through sorority/fraternity rush/recruitment. Don't believe the hype - it is not all drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. Many campuses are "dry" (meaning no alcohol in the house) and there are LOTS of christians that are members as well. I think you should check them out and pray that God guides you to the right house (if its meant to be).

6. Check out the Student Activities/Organization booklet. See what's available on campus as far as activities go. Getting your degree is priority number one, but you should find time to relax and have fun. Listed in here should also be any christian based organizations (ex. CCC, Chi Alpha, etc.) including your campus church contact info.

Everone else has posted some good advice too. As long as you keep God the center, you should do well.

Good luck to all incoming college students!

 

[GirlAfterGodsOwnHeart]

I certainly would not pack a whole ton of stuff to take to college. I did. And trust me, during the year you are going to need or want to buy things during the semesters and then when it comes time to bring it all home for the summer, you WILL regret unpacking all that stuff and finding room for everything. I've been home for a week and I still have many boxes filled with stuff from my dorm room around the house. It's terrible.

If you have any friends who are in college currently, ask them for advice or help with packing. They can help you desifer what you should bring and what you shouldn't.

Some things that I've found helpful are:

A small white board or bulitan board for your door. See, you want to put like a message board up on your door. This way if there are people on your floor that come to your door that need to talk to you and you are not there, they can leave a message on the board for you to come see them. You can also write on the board letting people know where you are, class, library, or maybe you don't want people to bother you because you are studying or sleeping. Use it to your advantage.

A printer is a must if you have a computer. If there is not a computer lab in your dormatory, it WILL be a pain for you if you don't have your own printer. I would suggest a printer/copier/scanner. One of those all in one things.

If you want to, some sedimentals you can bring. Like pictures of your friends and family. But don't bring a lot.

Office supplies like a stapler, tape, 3 hole puncher, pencils, pens, notebooks and binders. I would suggest getting one binder for each class. This way you don't have to lug a giant binder around with you from class to class. It gets tiring after a while.

If your a Christian, a Bible and a small book of prayers is a good choice. Look into a book called "Promises for Graduates." It's a devotional/prayer book with lots of great prayers in it. I have it and I love it. My Pastor actually gave it to me. It's in the NIV translation by the way.

Lamps. I'd say about two are fine. Some dorms rooms while there is celing light, it's not enough sometimes and the room can get pretty dark even with the light on. I'd recomend a clip on lamp that has a giant clip on the end. That and a desk lamp. I wouldn't get a floor lamp. They can get pretty roomy.

Hamper on wheeles and detergent with downy in it. Some colleges, if you live on the top floor of your college, the laundry room might be on the ground floor. It's good to have a hamper on wheels so that you can easily get your laundry to and from the room. And some college laundry rooms do not have a place for fabric sofener, so I'd look for detergent that has downy in it already.

QUARTERS ARE YOUR FRIEND. You will need a lot of them. Mostly for laundry. Yes you have to pay to do laundry. At my school it's a $1.00 for washing and $.75 for a hour long drying.

Speaking of which, make sure you get clothes for college that you can put into a dryer. If you have things like sweaters or stuff that can't, that's fine but make sure you don't have a lot of them. And get a drying rack. One of those cheap wooden ones are fine. Put your sweaters and stuff on there to dry and find a place for it. If you can leave it in the laundry room for a day or two so they can dry that would be much better than leaving it in your dorm room.

A fan - Even in the winter time, it is an excellent noice blocker.

A SMALL boombox, don't bring a huge stereo system.

These things you should talk to your roomate about. Some colleges only allow one of each of these. Like only one fridge per room. And some don't allow some of these things, like toasters. My college we are not allowed to have toasters.

A fridge.

A rug - if you like to move furniture around the room every once in a while, I'd get a flat rug, not one of those poofy ones. I tried moving furniture around with a poofy rug, and my roomate and I had a really hard time doing it.

A Microwave - Get a small one, but make sure you are allowed to have one. Some colleges do not allow these.

Toaster - Again, some colleges do not allow these. Look into it.

A TV - Don't get something too big. Just get something small. I'd look for one of those that has a built in VCR and DVD player. This way you don't have to lug all three seperate pieces around.

Also:

Most defenitly bring a laptop or desktop if you have one. I would suggest a laptop because this way you can carry it around to places on campus. It also comes in handy if you experience problems with it, it's easier on your campus's computer center (If you have one) to fix it. Believe me I know, I work at my campus's computer center.

Which brings me to another topic - Campus jobs, look into them. If you have a job at home that's fine. Work during the summer, but during the school year I would highly suggest getting an on campus job. Visit your university's webpage to find out more about them or ask around. I don't know about other colleges outside of my own in PA, but I think they all if not most start at minimum wage. But it's money. May not be a lot, but trust me, if you have to pay for your books and stuff, it's worth it.

Also, textbooks, two things, if you must buy them at your campus bookstore, BUY THEM USED. They will be so much cheaper and you can sell them back at the end of the year for cash. Though you will get back more money if you buy them new. But look into buying textbooks online and compare the prices online to in the bookstore. I wasn't able to get my books online because they were the same prices as the ones in the bookstore and plus shipping it would have been even more. So defenitly compare the prices and think about shipping costs.

Lastly, I know roomates can be a big problem. I've gone through two bad ones already and I'm only an incoming sophomore. But they are not always so bad. I've been hanging out with another girl most of last semester who is now going to be my roomate for the fall. Some suggestions are that if you see a problem happening with your roomate, sit down and talk about it before it gets out of hand. If he or she does not want to talk about it or blames it all on you if it's not your fault, then go straight to your resident assistant, who is basically in charge of everyone on your wing, and talk to him or her. If that doesn't solve the problem, go to your Resdient Director, who is in charge of EVERYONE in the dormatory both male and female. Just keep at it until a solution is made or brought up. Yes not everyone does get along with his or her roomates, but there are times when you get lucky and you guys are the best of friends. I've seen it happen.

And I've written way too much here. Hope this all helps you all!

Woah, praise God for making you so utterly helpful to me! Yay for Rin4Christ!

 

[ZACTAK]

I am not sure if people suggested this or not, but communication with your roommates is a huge thing! I cannot say that enough. I got into a huge fight with my roommates last year and I wound up moving out before the end of the school year. It all could have been avoided had we all communicated with each other.

I moved 3 1/2 hours away from my family. Your first semester is going to be a true test. You might get to a point where you want to move back home, but stick it out because you won't regret it. I was determined at the end of my first semester at Missouri State I was going to move back home and transfer to Lindenwood University or somewhere like that. I now permanently live away from my family at my school.. mainly because I have a good paying, career building job here.

Stay organized and stay on top of things. I am always afraid to ask a professor for help, but I have learned to not be afraid. If you are struggling in a class, don't wait until the last minute, or just slide by.. go use the resources your school has such as free tutors, or going directly to the professor... they have office hours and that is what they are there for.

Don't expect the dorm food to be good. It is decent. I work in a juvenile detention center, and the food in the dorms is slightly better then food you would normally get while incarcerated

Don't forget to join organizations, such as Campus Crusade for Christ, or Baptist Student Union. Get involved. It is a great way to meet new friends, and it gives you a break from your studies. Also, don't forget to go to church. I have seen many people fall from their faith because they moved away from home. I ended up being the opposite, but don't forget about God!

Most importantly have fun! Take classes you will enjoy and have fun with your friends. College is awesome, and I personally love it. I hope you can find happiness in it too... NO MATTER WHAT get your degree!! It will be well worth it in the end.

Oh, one more thing. Don't worry about changing your major... I have done it about 5 times, and I am finally in what I want to be. Don't be afraid to change it, because remember this is what you are going to be stuck doing for the rest of your life. It is a huge decision. Even if your parents get upset, remember its your life! You will be the one who is stuck with what you got your degree in, not your family or friends. Hope that helped. God bless.

 

[mikewould]

seek first God and His Kingdom and PRAY PRAY PRAY! about everything, every decision. Trust God more than man, keep a Spiritual Journal, read the Bible, sleep early, wake up early, PRAY, keep fellowshiping and going to Church, have a mentor, someone to keep you accountable and someone else to pray for you!

 

[Moluku]

Get involved in as much as you can. It'll help with the homesickness and break the monotony of studying. Find a Christian group on/off campus that you'll like. Surrounding yourself with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ will be a strong foundation during college. Procrastinate...try not to let this get the best of you unless you're an expert at cramming and last-minute reports. If your school offers tutoring of any kind, and many do offer free tutoring on campus, take advantage of this. Tutoring helped me get through math with flying colors when I otherwise would have squeaked by. If you have roommates, make friends not enemies. You're going to be living with these people for an entire school year so don't start off on their bad side. Try and get to know them at the least, and you might end up making some really great friends. Get to know your neighbors as well if you're in the dorms or apartments. Some of my best friends were my neighbors down the hall.

 

[Shannonkish]

Molku,

I would totally agree with you.

Only about 25% of your time in college is spent in Classes... use the other 75% to have fun. College is a great time in your life and you can make it as fun as you like.

When I was in undergrad I was so involved in stuff--- from a sorority to choir to SGA etc. Those are the thing times and things I remember the most.

College brings about a lot of life experience.

 

[Grunt]

Keep track of how many class days you miss. Unless you have titanium willpower, you will miss a few days whether it be from sickness, skipping or whatever. Especially in those joke classes, it's often hard to convince yourself to get up in the morning and go... and if the class does have an attendance requirement, it can sneak up on you before you know it.

Do the assigned homework - even if it's not required. Maybe not every single problem, but at least part of it. To be blunt, you just don't learn things like chemistry, physics, calculus, and plenty of others... without practicing it. You may be able to sqeak by and get a decent grade in the class, but believe me it *will* come back and bite you.

 

[MrsSeptemberPenguin]

Ok, I lived at home my first year, but i'm moving this fall to a different campus. I have a couple recommendations, and it depends on your situation. If possible don't work, or at least not much. Enjoy your time, and get involved with groups and get to know people. Make sure you get a buddy in your major to study with!!! Very important. Most of all, you only get to do it once so make the best of it