I used to go each semester and speak to a class at my high school about college and the transition that accompanies it. Usually, I just stood at the front of the room and invited them to pelt me with every pressing question they could think of. One of the most popular ones I got was inquiring the actual difficulty level they would face. I won't say college is easy, but I promise you that you can do it. You are here because you want to be here, and that is at least 98% of the battle. (I made that percentage up but that's what it feels like)
2. Extra Credit is like Imodium.
Like imodium, extra credit doesn't really seem that valuable until you actually need it. College extra credit is much smaller than high school extra credit, usually only two or three points depending on the professor. You will probably think, "Oh, I have a 92, and I know that the final will be easy." but then next thing you know you're home because your dog breaks his leg or something, miss an in class assignment, and those one or two points would have made the difference between the A and the B. There is no time when extra credit will not come in handy. I promise. So unless you or someone close to you is dying, take advantage of it.
3. Make friends with important people.
Here I am not necessarily talking about the Dean of your college or even your professors, although you should definitely be very nice to those people because they control a lot of decisions that could really affect you. I am thinking more of like, your RA, your roommate, or the workers in the dining center. These people have much more indirect control over you, but are still in charge of your less basic needs, like fun floor events, the food that you must eat, or your general sanity when you are in your living space. Even if you absolutely despise these people, at least bust your butt to be nice to them. In the words of my mom, be the bigger person. You won't always notice definitely positive feedback if you are nice, but I promise you'll notice negative feedback if you aren't.
4. Assume that the internet will crap out on you at the worst possible time.
Among helping you with research, finding you funny memes, and being the source of your dorm decorations, one of the internet's favorite hobbies is going out when you need it most. This sounds very negative, but really I am just trying to save you heartache that will overwhelm you. If the quiz is due at midnight and you have fifteen minutes to take it, do not start it at 11:45. I know that some of you function this way and that is okay. Just understand the if the internet does go down at this time, your professor will probably ask why you waited so long and be much less helpful about getting the quiz back and accepting it late.
5. Go out of your way to be helpful and kind.
Generally speaking, college is basically a bunch of people living together and doing life together and trying to survive together while they live without their mommies and daddies for the first time. sometimes those people will remind you that it is not best on your body to eat taco bell five meals in a row, and sometimes you will go pick them up from the bar at 3 a.m. when you have a test at 8:30. It is a big, sometimes uneven, list of IOU's, but just know that your friends and roommates and classmates are your best survival resource, so, unless people are taking advantage of you, share your notes when someone has the flu, drive across town when your roommate gets locked out, and generally give kindness to others.
6. Find a keep folder.
I really don't know how common this is but it has worked beautifully for me. Find one specific folder and label it KEEP in sharpie. In it should live things that are vital to your existence and success as a human being. I am talking passports, immunization records, lease agreements, and basically anything you have to keep for over a year and/or has nowhere else to live. It is likely that you will be moving a lot in college, from dorms to greek houses to apartments, and now all of your important things have a place to travel safely.
7. Know your professor.
These can be some intimidating people, let me tell you. But they are important and you should know them well. One entertaining way to accomplish this is trying to decide (nonverbally) what your professor's spirit animal is. If you think it might be any kind of reptile, turn in your assignments quietly, ask for help when you need it in a very polite and professional way, and go about your own business. If you are dealing with, say, a six week old lab puppy, it would be a good idea to utilize office hours and get to know them a little.
8. Your professors are not out for anything but your success.
Sometimes this may not seem to be the case, but keep in mind that they likely have several hundred students to keep track of and grade tests for, and they have a hard time giving you the benefit of the doubt for your sickness during your test when the kid in front of you used the 'my grandma died' excuse for the fifth time this semester. They want your success, but most of the time, they need you to leave their class with knowledge to do an actual job in the real world, so they don't let a lot skate by. Be an adult, turn things in on time, and DO NOT MAKE EXCUSES.
9. Learn how to write a professional e-mail. Use it when in doubt about how to talk with someone, and use it with anyone who is above you.
*Note: Always review the syllabus before e-mailing a professor, they aren't going to waste the time to reiterate policies that they, quite literally, handed to you. Here is an example.
Professor,
I have been sick this week and missed your class on Tuesday. After catching up with a classmate, I learned we had a pop quiz. I notice that your absence policy is that with documentation, I can make that up. I would really love to come in during office hours and retake it if you were willing to look at my doctors note. Thank you for your time,
Emily
*Note: If you would text someone what you are saying, it isn't formal enough for a professional e-mail.
10. Germs
If you live in a dorm, I hate to say it, you are living in a giant container of germs. A fun, social, friendship -y container, but that's what it is. Befriend Lysol wipes, and wash your hands a lot.
11. Get enough sleep.
Know yourself and know how much sleep you need to simply survive, to function, and to thrive. My dear friend Hannah is the kind of person that can get about 90 minutes of sleep and look and act like gold the next day, and i am more of the eight or nine hour kind of person. When I don't get enough sleep the night before a test, I don't do well on the test. My roommates affectionately refer to me as the grandmother of our household due to my early bedtime, but that's alright.
12. Studying can be done in thousands of ways, so find your favorite.
I really think one of the most common problems with incoming college student success is that no one has ever taught you how to study. People think that it is just reading the book, and it isn't. Studying is active, not passive. Here are some ways that I have studied over the last four years, choose your favorites.
-Reading the book and taking notes, then make sure that your class notes and your book notes line up and aid each other in explaining the topic.
-How would you explain this to a kindergartner? If you can't, you probably don't know it well enough.
-Color code. When I took biology I hung color coded diagrams around my room with the different systems of the body. If done early enough before a test, I could take a quick gander around the room every few hours and they would slowly sink in. When I took the test, I was like, oh yes, the respiratory system was the blue, and I had a much easier time labeling and describing.
-Quizlet and StudyBlue are a few of my favorite online resources. Conveniently, they both have iPad (and probably iPhone) apps and can be utilized for the few minutes while you wait for a class, or before meeting with a friend, or for ten minutes while you lay in bed at night.
-Read a paragraph out of the book and then either speak or write a summary of it. If you can't do that, you probably don't know the book well enough.
-*BONUS: If you are tech savvy, figure out how to upload study guides to trivia crack. Then show me how.
13. Purchase durable winter element clothes if you live in any state north of Texas.
Here I am really thinking about your feet if they have to walk through several blocks of snow (Hint: Don't wear vans.), a winter coat, and an ear band. Gloves and such are also valuable, but generally, my feet, torso, and ears always get cold first. "Because I was cold" is not an acceptable reason your professor will take for not coming to class.
14. Be organized.
Dorm rooms can be some downright terrifying places. Between the two people who have never been on their own to decorate before, the fact that they may have exact opposite tastes and preferences, and trying to cram two people's belongings in an 11x11 room, you can pretty easily lose yourself in them, both your physical person and your sanity. Don't keep things you don't need (don't take that winter coat and boots until your shorts and swimsuits can go home) and give the things you do have a certain home in your room. If it doesn't have a home, you may not need it.
15. Do fun stuff.
You should certainly do the normal fun things, like go to university sporting events and attend events with your floor and go get the free ice cream in the union on a random Wednesday. But you should also go out on a Monday when the Royals win the world series, pick the sport you are worst and and play it in intramurals (as long as your teammates are not the university's athletes) and play Hostages with your floor mates at 3 a.m.
16. Know the reality of your professors.
You are going to have way more Minerva McGonagall's than you will Dolores Umbridge's. Promise.
17. Take time for yourself.
Take an HOUR each day and do something you enjoy. That could feel kind of generous some weeks, but if you strive for that, that's good. Studying for 12 straight hours will not help you remember the information, you need a break. Watch one episode of your choice of show on Netflix while you eat breakfast and dinner, go outside and shoot baskets, read your favorite guilty pleasure teenage novel, play trivia crack against your grandmother. (Although if you are studying you are likely using a computer, so try to do things during your time without a screen) It's going to feel like you can't spare the time, but if you don't take time for yourself, you won't have a yourself to do any studying at all.
18. Listen to your mom.
In all reality, this probably should have been number one. Listen to her when she suggests sticking an umbrella in your backpack, listen when she tells you that this boy you're dating probably isn't good for you, listen to her when she tells you how to get that stain out. Listen. To. Your. Mom.
19. Appreciate home.
You'll probably learn this on your own, but being away gives you a whole new appreciation for your home and the people that inhabit it. Spend time with them, cherish them, and visit them whenever you can.
20. Moving sucks.
However, between the ages of 18-22, it's almost inevitable that you'll end up moving at least twice, and it is a giant pain in the rear. Moving brings out the stress in everyone, so if your pals are moving, offer to lend a hand (even if you're like me and can only carry light things like books and houseplants) Just know that everyone is a little more tense on moving day, especially if people are moving you, because you have to make a lot of rash decisions. Put on your patience panties and just know that.
21. Understand laundry and it's complicated details.
By this, I basically mean that a tide-to-
22. At least once in college, take a road trip.
Pretty much the only way to take a road trip is to develop excellent bonds and teamwork skills with your companions, and it is almost inevitable that these will come in the most ridiculous, inconvenient, and stupid possible ways. Running out of gas in western Kansas, trying to read an atlas together, and then probably trying to fold the atlas. Seriously, take them.
23. Ask for help when you need it.
College is the first time in your life where you are learning how to do things on your own, and EVERYONE has questions. Do some research to figure things out on your own, but be okay with asking for help. Much of the time, you will learn twice as much if you take the time to ask, after you've given it your best effort. This goes for assignments, your dorm or apartment maintenance and upkeep, and generally, anything involving insurance.
24. Don't put too much pressure on yourself.
People like to say that college is the best four years of your life, which I think can be a load of bologna. There are fun things, like lake swimming on the first Kansas day above 60, or eating donuts at three in the morning with your best friends. But there are a lot of stressors, too. Dealing with difficult professors or group members, the test that makes or breaks your grade, and wondering if you will ever understand what a co-pay is. (For the record, I still don't.) Like any stage of life, it has it's ups and downs, but the less pressure you put on yourself to make it perfect, the better it will be.
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