Adding Reply Topic Starting Freshmen Year in College Membername   Not a member? Sign Up Free (takes 20 seconds) Password   Forgotten your password? Post Font: Verdana Arial Black Georgia Comic Sans Impact   Size: Tiny Normal Big Huge   Color: Default Dark Red Red Orange Brown Green Olive Cyan Blue Dark Blue Indigo Black [ Check Spelling ] [ Post Preview ] [ LiveTags ] FAQ Keyword Search: Post Options Favorites Manager Notify me of new replies to this topic by email Notify me of new replies to this topic by private message Original Post dreamweaver Posted at 7:13 pm on Aug. 14, 2006 I'm a second year in college (sophomore) and have gone through the whole moving out of the house thing and meeting new people.  I admit, I was scared and had no idea what to do and what to expect.  Here's a few things I have learned that could also help you survive your freshmen year; -When you first move-in, leave your door open.  That way, people just have to pop in and meet you.  Also, it's a sign that you would like to meet new people and are willing to do it.   -There is no huge difference between upperclassmen and underclassmen like in high school.  This is prolly one of the most important differences you will have to know about college and high school life.  For example, more than half of my friends are juniors and seniors.  I just had 2 really good friends graduate this past summer. -Join a club, organization, group, or sorority/fraternity.  They are really good ways to get to know new people and helps broaden your experiences. -Don't be afraid to try new things once, good or bad.  The experience is a great teacher and you could learn much more about yourself in the process. -Don't be judgmental about other people.  In college you'll learn so much more about other people and thier beliefs.  It's best to just listen and try to educate yourself from others. -A wiseman once said to me, "Never pay full price for a textbook!"  Textbooks are incredibly expensive, especially when bought brand new.  Check out other options, like buying the book from another person you know, Amazon/Ebay, eBook, etc.  See if your school has a program where you can find other students with the book you need.  There will be a few times that you will have to buy a brand new book because the professor wants an up-to-date version, though. kira suggested this site, because it searches eBay, Half.com., Amazon, etc for books and lets you compare prices (thanks, kira!):   http://www.campusbooks.com/ -Get to know your roommate and don't hold anything back.  You're going to be living together and you don't want to get into very many confrontations.  If you feel you cannot communicate with them, talk with your RA or move out. -Your first day of class, always talk with the person next to you.  They may save your butt in that class. -Talk to your professors! Even if it's to introduce yourself. Don't think they don't care about you.  They actually care about what grade you get and if you need help, they're more than happy to help out.   -If you're struggling in class, get help. See if there are programs with tutors and such.  Talk with your professor about it as well.  If you don't think you'll pass at all, dont make your grade suffer- drop it.   There's so much more to that, and I'd be more than happy to help out. Good luck to all the new freshmen!

Replies Lilliers Posted at 2:12 pm on Oct. 3, 2009 yeah im having problems... i'm living with my parents and now i decided to go to a college near my house. And hopefully i have nice people in my class. Last semester i had all these jerks in my class :/ But i dropped cause my parents were driving me insane. Idk what to do. should i stay living with my parents or try to save money and move out while in college? or is that too hard. my parents are willing to help with school but nothing else. its hard cause my bf pressures me to move in with him but i cant do that. cause we been dating for a few months. trizzle Posted at 12:23 am on Oct. 1, 2009 thank you for this! kellyjutter Posted at 12:46 pm on Sep. 28, 2009 oh, and to get to know your profs it can be really awkward to go up after class and look like the tool who says something and it is obvious he is just trying to make a connection. what i did was bring a paper to office hours and discuss it, even if you pose it like "can you help me with this" it starts a discussion and that is how i started to get to know my profs and then from there it is really easy. it is a good, non-awkward, non-tool way to break the ice. kellyjutter Posted at 12:44 pm on Sep. 28, 2009 get right into the work. it piles up quickly. you should start your readings within the first week of classes. don't get behind. you will never catch up. tackle your work in small chunks and deff talk to your professors. my life at school was so much better when i got really close to 3-4 professors. they are cool people and can be life long friends and connections. CRants Posted at 5:59 pm on Aug. 15, 2009 what to bring to college: http://collegechecklist.yolasite.com dumb whore Posted at 9:48 pm on July 23, 2009 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. baller23 Posted at 12:30 pm on Feb. 11, 2009 i think the biggest fear in college is want to be accepted. Just forget about that fear. The best thing is to be yourself and that way you'll actually find other people that are like you, not other people that are trying to act like you. Also, don't spend sooo much on books you'll never use. Try to wait and see if the teacher actually uses the book, and try to buy from other students. Most of all, have fun but get through. austin s23 Posted at 10:26 pm on Nov. 26, 2008 i love college TigressaLynnMae Posted at 5:32 am on Sep. 20, 2008 This is mainly for the dorms, not apartments. Dorms, apartments, nor suites can do it, on my campus. Plus, dorm or apartment, it's not safe. dreamweaver Posted at 6:13 pm on Sep. 19, 2008 Quote: from TigressaLynnMae at 5:30 pm on Sep. 19, 2008  -When you first move-in, leave your door open. That way, people just have to pop in and meet you. Also, it's a sign that you would like to meet new people and are willing to do it.   But don't do it if you have a lease that tells you cannot. We have a 50$ fine, each time our doors are left open. In this day and age, my best advice to you would be NOT to leave your door open. Trust is not as high a process, in today's time. This is mainly for the dorms, not apartments. TigressaLynnMae Posted at 2:30 pm on Sep. 19, 2008 -When you first move-in, leave your door open.  That way, people just have to pop in and meet you.  Also, it's a sign that you would like to meet new people and are willing to do it.   But don't do it if you have a lease that tells you cannot. We have a 50$ fine, each time our doors are left open. In this day and age, my best advice to you would be NOT to leave your door open. Trust is not as high a process, in today's time. -There is no huge difference between upperclassmen and underclassmen like in high school.  This is prolly one of the most important differences you will have to know about college and high school life.  For example, more than half of my friends are juniors and seniors.  I just had 2 really good friends graduate this past summer. But the strain is still there. -Join a club, organization, group, or sorority/fraternity.  They are really good ways to get to know new people and helps broaden your experiences. Sororities and fraternities are just God's way of making you pay for friendships. I wouldn't suggest them. Work with your degree, and your classmates. -Don't be afraid to try new things once, good or bad.  The experience is a great teacher and you could learn much more about yourself in the process. But don't spend your time trying new beers. ;) -Don't be judgmental about other people.  In college you'll learn so much more about other people and thier beliefs.  It's best to just listen and try to educate yourself from others. Learn from others, and learn from yourself. -A wiseman once said to me, "Never pay full price for a textbook!"  Textbooks are incredibly expensive, especially when bought brand new.  Check out other options, like buying the book from another person you know, Amazon/Ebay, eBook, etc.  See if your school has a program where you can find other students with the book you need.  There will be a few times that you will have to buy a brand new book because the professor wants an up-to-date version, though. Wait until after the first week, until you've talked to your professor, before buying a book you'll end up not needing. kira suggested this site, because it searches eBay, Half.com., Amazon, etc for books and lets you compare prices (thanks, kira!):   http://www.campusbooks.com/ Half.com is not a reliable site for textbooks, nor is ebay. Amazon.com for the win. -Get to know your roommate and don't hold anything back.  You're going to be living together and you don't want to get into very many confrontations.  If you feel you cannot communicate with them, talk with your RA or move out. Even if you can't communicate with them, that's not reason enough to move out, at least according to our housing department. There has to be a more...'mental' reason. -Your first day of class, always talk with the person next to you.  They may save your butt in that class. But don't make it seem obvious that you're new. -Talk to your professors! Even if it's to introduce yourself. Don't think they don't care about you.  They actually care about what grade you get and if you need help, they're more than happy to help out.   They dont' really care what grade you get. They're willing to help, but the grade you get is on your head, not theirs. -If you're struggling in class, get help. See if there are programs with tutors and such.  Talk with your professor about it as well.  If you don't think you'll pass at all, dont make your grade suffer- drop it.   Always try the first test. And forget tutors. Got to the mentors. There's so much more to that, and I'd be more than happy to help out. Good luck to all the new freshmen! :) Punk4Trev Posted at 2:18 pm on Sep. 19, 2008 One word of advice. Totally try to make as many friends as you can. It really helps to now be alone at college. CollegePrincess Posted at 4:39 am on Aug. 13, 2008 I'm going to be a freshman as well in the end of august and I wanted to what was some of your hardest classes? Dont Notice Me Posted at 11:48 am on June 30, 2008 Post from this position was omitted due to content violations firestarter122 Posted at 8:35 pm on June 24, 2008 Keep your door propped open for the first 6 months, and meet as MANY people as you can! It was the key to my success in college. Most recent 15 of 37 previous replies displayed.