Grades: - Pick classes by PROFESSOR and then specific class. The professor is more important than the specific topic. A bad professor can suck the life out of a topic you could have loved.
- As far as which professors to take, choose easy professors by looking at ratemyprofessors. There is no reason to take the hard route and opt for more difficult classes. You will just make it harder on yourself.
- If the class has essays, meet the professor. It's hard to give a bad grade to a student who the professor knows. Be more than just your student ID number to the professor.
- Always go to class. Especially since you live on campus, it's easy to get to class.
- Avoid taking classes back-to-back. Avoid two finals on the same day. Avoid "hard" professors.
- Do as well as you can with your grades. It's extremely difficult to improve a bad GPA. Note that GPA only matters for your first job or grad school or if you get honors. No one will care about your undergrad GPA after your first real job after college.
- College is (depending on school) much more difficult than high school. You are coddled less and much more is expected of you. That said, you have much more free time. Be sure to use part of that free time to study.
Social: - Make friends in the dorms.
- Be chill, kind, peaceful. Don't take social life too seriously.
- Go to the gym, especially if you lack confidence. Anyone can easily achieve a nice fit model-esque body with a few months of dieting and working out. Then you'll have the confidence.
- Try to have a style of more than t-shirts and your university's sweatshirt. Button downs, polos, matching your belt and shoes, will all go a long way toward looking like you have your life together.
- You can "experiment," but don't go overboard.
- Don't be a serial romancer. That's for The Sims.
- Try to line up people to live with for your second year by Winter Break. That can sometimes be when people start looking for a sophomore place to live.
- Join clubs to meet new people.
Financial: - Don't overburden yourself. A job is great, but if it gets in the way of your studies, you should really just take out student loans. Undergrad loans are often good loans.
- Think about your major in terms of job prospects. BLS is a good place to explore which majors lead to which jobs.
- Intern, free or paid. It will be harder to get a job if you have no real life experience.
I'm planning for my schedule to have a 3 day weekend (Fri, Sat and Sun) just for that extra free time. According to my sister, I will have go to downtown by taking the bus if I'm going to take a criminal justice class.
But holy fuck, the finances stresses me out. I'm already going to have to loans for my first year already. I will be in debt so much it won't be funny. ---