My advice: -Buy what the prof tells you to buy
-If you're afraid of making new friends, the best time to do it is during orientation or a few days before school starts. There's a lot of shit to talk about then, and most of the people I know now met me before school started.
-Your education is your 1st priority. There will be so many fun things to do that you lose track of your GPA. I've seen too many people lose their scholarships after one semester. Don't be like them.
-TALK to your roommate. Tell them what you like/dislike and let them tell you what they like/dislike. If your roommate is inconsiderate, you will be miserable. If you're inconsiderate to your roommate, he/she will make you miserable. COMPROMISE!
-You will have a lot of work to do as a college student. Be organized. A professor will treat you as if you have all the time in the world for his/her assignments. Time management is key.
-EXAMS: Study at least 2 weeks prior. Partner studying is a pretty good idea for taking exams. Usually one of you will understand something when the other doesn't and reviewing goes faster. I say partner studying because group studying can turn into a talkfest, especially more than 3.
-FINALS: Your best bet is to completely shun everyone out of your life for 3 weeks until you have to take finals. I tried the partner studying thing, but my partner really slowed me down. During my first semester I honestly didn't study much for finals and did very well, because I kept up with all of my work throughout the semester. I didn't really do the same for spring, so finals week was total hell. Learn your shit people, don't just cram it all in for the exams.
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She rocks!!!!