What is the most important piece of advice you would give to someone about life in college?

Take it seriously.

Being at home is distracting. Internet, roommates, and various other shit will fuck you up.

Leave the cellphone and laptop at home and spend a few hours everyday in the library. Use that time without any distractions to get your homework/reading done.

Form study groups.
You will make great friends and better grades.

@mirifique, @johnpowell, and @Dog Thanks. I will be sure to keep these in mind.

Keep in mind that college is a special time in life in which you have all or most of the privileges of adulthood and not nearly all of the responsibilities. Enjoy it, but keep in mind why you are there. In the 21st century, a college degree will make a huge difference to the course of your life.

Be wary of credit cards. Nowadays, the credit card companies carpet bomb campuses. Piling up debt is no way to start your adult life.

I wish you a wonderful college experience!

Chart out your plan. i.e. what you would like to become, the career you are going to take up, how you are going to settle down in life. All these things give a good perspective and this will help you to study during tough times.

Also, ask your seniors or someone you know how to go about balancing studying and leisure. You will get some great advice. All the best

1. After three weeks you will know what’s going on. Be patient and don’t panic.

2. Some people go wild when they are first on their own: drinking, parties, ditching classes, etc. You don’t have to. Better not. You can have fun without half killing yourself. Getting a good start in all your classes will pay off.

3. Dorm life is not really like anything else. You are suddenly living in close, intense proximity to a large number of strangers, none of whom will care about you the way your family does, and yet some of whom will become almost like family to you. This is something to treasure. There’ll never be another time like this. At the same time, don’t lose the balance that your own family provides.

4. Be forgiving of your own mistakes.

5. Know that it will change you.

Find a part-time job ON CAMPUS because they will work around your schedule and won’t care if you call off at the last minute. You’ll make great friends, and if you work in a department you’ll make great professional connections.

Study, get good grades in the classes for your major, but don’t forget to party. Some of the best memories you’ll make will be at the beer pong table.

I agree with Discover about the credit cards…I’m a junior and have yet to get a credit card. I just haven’t needed one. I’ll get one soon to build up my credit, but in no way are they necessary at this point, and while in college the only things you need to be charging are your weekly groceries that you know you can pay off. Beware of all the bank tables set up on campus during the first week that will give you a free shirt/frisbee/whatever for signing up…they’re death traps!

And stay away from the guys with guitars or keyboards. Bad news. Bad, bad news.

@Ashpea9288: why stay away from guys with guitars/keyboards? :)

@mirifique Well, first guy was guitar, second guy was guitar AND keyboard, and both turned out to be absolute shits. I’ve learned my lesson, now it’s all about warning the newbies :)

@Ashpea9288: in terms of relationships, or…?

Go to class, even if you are hungover (some courses you can just show up and get a C)

Talk to your professors and participate in class to the point where they know your name (it could easily turn that C into a B)

Join a group/club

and if you go for a musician go for the drummer

@mirifique Anything beyond simply talking is a one-way track to shitville :P

@tennesseejac Lurve- GA

Definitely take your work seriously, as several people have already said.
Keeping that in mind, have fun! I am by no means encouraging you to party uncontrollably or go on drinking binges (both are bad ideas!), but keep in mind that your years at college could very well be the best years of your life.

Amandala said pretty much what I was going to. I regret not having more fun in college, and the fun I did have was the funnest fun of my life. I also regret not taking school more seriously. Have a happy balance.

Maintaining good relations with professors is helpful. (I’m at a relatively small school, so I don’t how much this changes with ratio.)

@Ashpea9288 – I should have known I was the victim of some anti-musician dating blacklist conspiracy.

Talk to the foreign students in your classes. You can learn a lot about the world that way.

Once your schedule’s sorted, why not join a committee or club? I was on my uni’s music and entertainment committee for two years. I had a lot of fun and got to a lot of shows for free!

IF you’re going to join a fraternity/sorority, please remember that doesn’t make you better than anyone else.

Get to know your Teaching Assistants and get on their good side. Unless it’s a small class, your professors are going to have a lot of students wanting their attention. Try to get that, of course, but in larger classes with discussion sections, your TA will be the one making the major decisions about your grade.

If you’re going to live in a dorm, get on your Resident Assistant’s good side, too.

Find out who your department advisor is once you pick your major and cultivate a relationship. I got a first notice of an internship on a big TV show just by being in her office while she was opening her mail.

There’s a lot of relationships you’re going to be making! Good luck and enjoy yourself!

It’s all about balance. Have fun, but make the grades. It IS possible. Avoid drama like the plague; living in a dorm isn’t helpful in avoiding this but as soon as you establish zero tolerance people typically pick up on it pretty quick (and in the long run you’ll gain respect from everyone in return for not getting involved). As far as classes are concerned, get to know your professors, especially within your major, because they can make magic happen…and so can secretaries. They own the keys to the institution so USE them, that’s what they are there for. College is all about figuring out who you want your adult self to be without the pressure of being thrown into reality head first without a clue, so take advantage of the opportunities awarded to you while at school, but be safe and fully aware of your surroundings as much as possible!

Don’t practice bad study habits as I did. I had the worst study habits in the history of college until I realized what I had been doing wrong: highlighting with a black magic marker.

Remember that your education is not limited to the college experience. Learning to connect what you learn there with the real world, practically or even abstractly…that’s gold. Not as golden as experience in the work field, but that comes in time, apparently. I’m still in college right now, the real studious sort, and now I’m just itchin’ for some “real-life” experience in my field.

College is useful, but it can be overrated. I never got why people were so excited to go to college ‘cause, well, I was never one of those people, lol. But enjoy it while you can, though, and don’t work yourself too hard—at a job or when trying to get good grades and understanding your field of study. At the same time, don’t go buck-wild if the latter things mean anything to you. Like exitnirvana says, you’ve eventually just gotta figure out what your balance is.

@Introverted_Leo that reminds me of a quote from mark twain “Never let formal education get in the way of your learning.”
However at the same time don’t discount your formal education either. I always had a difficult time with focusing on the long term goals of my education and now that im nearing graduation I am kind of regretting it. The better you do in school the more doors of opportunity you open. So find out what it is that motivates you, and use it to stay focused and do well.

Try to have an idea of what you wanna focus on in college before u actually enter. This way, you won’t be taking a whole crapload of classes and wasting money trying to find yourself. Hopefully your High school prepared you for that. If not, good luck buddy! I’m in the latter boat…still searching. Oh and another thing, don’t let some guidance counselor or your parents dictate your future. If you believe in doing something for the rest of your life, stick to your guns and never sway. These days, its so important to go after what you love rather than what other people want you to love. Money is important also, but what good is money if you’re too unhappy and stressed out to make any use of it? Follow your dreams, don’t let up, and don’t let others control your life.

dont allow youself to have a serious relationship until well into you junior or senior year. it will monopolize your emotional life and take away from the joy of freedom you have during college. despite what you may think of yourself, youre probably not emotionally mature enough for a serious relationship. work hard in school, enjoy your friends and figure yourself out before you think you can figure out someone else. good luck.

Be smart, organized, and plan out your work schedule. Make yourself follow it. Don’t pull all-nighters.

Check out a lot of courses. Follow any interest. There are no wasted courses. Do not, under any circumstances, choose a career before you get into college. Life will find you a career afterwards. This is not about making money; it is about preparing your mind for a successful life, no matter how you define “successful.”

College is a chance to have many new experiences. Go for them, but just do it with intelligence, and do not do anything in excess. “Moderation in all things” is a great thing to do. Don’t go near fraternities or sororities.

Challenge yourself, and have fun, and learn a lot.

I just recently graduated…and as everyone said, it’s important to remember why you’re there and concentrate on your school work…

That said, I believe that college is about so much more than academics; that is just one of the many areas that you are supposed to grow in high education. For me, getting involved and really being a part of the college community is almost as important as getting good grades. Academics are important, but the real world experience and skills that you get from being a part of a club/organization/team/etc. is just as important and it’s not going to be learned in a classroom.

Also, with today’s economy and job market the way it is remember to take every chance you get to gain work experience and make connections. The difference will be made when your resume is full to bursting with extra curricular activities and real job experience.

PS. Have fun…don’t take things too seriously…and don’t dwell on the future, live in the present!

Unsure if this has been said already, but I feel it’s a pretty strong point (based on personal experience). Be wary of going into college in a relationship. Yes, some long-distance relationships work out, but the chances are, in all honesty, slim to none. The person you are as a graduating high school senior and the person you are as a college freshman are hugely different.

Wow! Thank you everyone. I think I get the general gist of the collective answers: find the balance between fun and school. I think I have that balance down pretty well right now in high school, but I will try to keep that balance going in college.

Another thing. Really put yourself out there in the first few weeks of school when people are looking to make connections. Find some people to eat with, have coffee with someone after class, join a club or go to a lecture. It’s hard to be outgoing if you are somewhat introverted but if you make yourself open to doing things and meeting people, you will start to feel connected to college life. One of the “tasks” of freshman year is to get to know a lot of people and over the course of the year, weed it down, if necessary, to a few good friends. Don’t ask for a single; a roommate is a good place to start.

On the subject of roommates: Keep in mind that you don’t have to be best friends with your roommate. I lucked out and have a kickass roomie that I get along with really well, but this isn’t always the case. That being said, you still need to make a point to be a good roommate. Be courteous, respect his/her space, and set ground rules. Whether or not you’re friends shouldn’t dictate how you live together.

Practice saying this phrase, over and over : “No thanks, I really need to study.”
Practice until you can say it to anyone, at any time, regardless of the imagined social consequences.

All truly good suggestions. Ditto to it all.
...that should cover me not reading all of them..
anyway, steelmarket’s is one of the best. do NOT put off homework or studying. If you get the urge to do something else, immediately sit down and do it.
I had (relatively) very little studying/work to take care of my first semester, yet I slid away with a 1.13, whereas I should (and could, to my disgrace) have had a 3.5, easy.
Not doing homework and studying (regardless of how little/how much) kicked me around like a small puppy. It was sad.
Just keep your head in the books whenever you know you need to get something done, and you should still end up with a fair amount of free-time to hang out around fluther. :P

study and have fun.