Deadlines

The thing that becomes the biggest problem in college for most freshmen is the class deadlines. Getting things done and turned in on time becomes a major hassle. A problem some students never truly learn to deal with untill they are a couple years into it. Turning things in on time is of great importance once you get into college. In high school they gave you a few days to turn them in usually only slightly lowering your grade. In college it depends on the class. You could either get only a few points taken off the assingment or some professors wont even accept it if the assignment is turned in late. Giving a big zero on something that could have possibly helped sustain your grade. Turning assignments in is easy points to raise your grade. you fail a test those points could be the only thing between failing the class and passing and earning credit. Some college students their begining year decide they don't need to do anything. They can just slide by and barely passing is okay. But paying thousands of dollars to screw around and barely pass is in my opinion a stupid idea. Freshmen should get in the habit their first year of doing the work and turning it in.
This also goes along with talking to your professors. They are there for you, to help in any way that they can. If you are struggling and not sure why, they all have office hours that are meant for you the student to come and ask questions. They aren't trying to fail you on purpose. Maybe you're just studying the wrong things before a test. Or not taking notes on the right things. Whatever it is they will help in whatever way they can to help get your grade up. At big colleges they can't really do that. However in the small private ones they can provide support for their students as long as the students are actually trying and willing to care about their grades.

Getting Along with Other Students

Everyone goes to college wanting to make new friends, people they can hang out with after class and on the weekends. Hopefully ones that will be there when you need help or someone to talk to. Not everyone though can be your best friend. You have to figure out what you interests are and if you want friends who are going to distract you from everything important or ones who care about the schooling part of college as much as you do. Trusting the people you think you can be friends with too fast after getting into college can prove to be a big problem. Since you really don't know anything about these people, you have no idea if they are going to be the ones to leave you at a party to get in trouble. Or if they are two-faced and are friends with you one day and the next won't even look at you. If they pull a fast one over on you then it is not worth it to waste your time trying to be their friends. As a college student you get to make your own decisions and one of them is the people you want to be associated with, so choose carefully.
Another aspect of social relations at college is that of relationships, whether your the male, or female it is never a good idea to just jump into things, literally. Wait awhile before you decide to claim that you and the other person are together. Otherwise they could end up being the biggest jerk on campus. Or the one that never stays the night in their own room. Either way that friendship that was their could possibly be lost because of a speedy entrance into the relationship world.

Keeping Stress Levels Down

The first week of college is always the roughest. Getting to know new people, trying to understand how each professor runs class. Making sure you and your roommate are going to get along and how each of you like to live. Are they reserved or the biggest partier on campus? All of which put tons of stress on you and can show through your attitude and in your class work if it is that bad. Keeping the stress away can be simple and can improve your social relationships and your student-professor relationship.
Making time each day for friends. That is my number one tip for those burdened by stress. Doesn't matter how busy you are or what you have to do. Taking half an hour to an hour out of your day to hangout and laugh can be the best way to relax and keep your mood up. In the process you can also make new friends adding to the list of ways to relax. Now taking six hours each day to chill with friends, doing nothing and still trying to keep up with classwork will be extremely difficult. You have to find your own balance. I have made it so I don't have to do homework on fridays or on saturday nights. And for all weekend homework it has been devoted to during the day on Saturday and all of sunday. I take it as a rest and work day. Get some laundry done while working is also a way that you can achieve more things in a very small amount of time. Just so long as you don't forget about the laundry because if you do it usually is not in the same place that you left it.
Another tip to relieving the stress has nothing to do with illegal things or being everyones best friend. Working out relieves so much extra energy and relaxes you for the night. Working out after class and before dinner can be the best way. Your muscles are stretched your brain is calm and then you can eat a nice dinner in the wonderful cafeterias. After which would be the best time to get things done. And at the end you always get to look forward to taking a hot shower and climbing into bed.

First Week of Classes

The first week that freshman college students venture into the classroom is full of anxiety and nervousness. Do we talk or do we sit there and just listen. What kind of professor is this? Are they one that just lectures or one that is devoted to class discussions and question and answer type lessons. And how can they be giving us so much homework already within the first week. The realization that in college you are totally on your own happens within about the first 10 minutes of the first class you have. It hits you like a ton of bricks and then the thought that you now have to do everything yourself gives you the feeling of the stress that is to come.
It may be nerdy, or the uncool thing to do but writing down homework and important dates in your assignment book is probably one of the best things you can do to make sure you get things done on time and that you remember what you have to do. Without writing in one there will always be something that you are forgetting to do or turn in. And it helps in planning ahead for test days or for finals or speeches.
Another important part is to actually go to class. Most professors take a mental roll call and if your not there they take you down either a grade or you get a deduction in points. Those easy points for just being there could make the difference between passing and having to retake the class. Making it a waste of a semester. Just show up, take the test, and do the homework for the most part which usually isn't too hard and the grade will be worth it.

The First Month Continued

There is a lot of things that are pretty valuable to know when first going to college. Move-in day is over and what? What else is there to do before you can start going to class. Well what most first years don't realize is that you need to buy your books. Unlike the past twelve years where they hand you the books in class. Once you get to college all that changes. Buying your books becomes one of the worst experiences ever. Spending hundreds of dollars on something that only gets used for about four months out of the year. So one of the best hints is to either get your books online with cheap delivery or to buy your books used from the bookstore. I suggest that you look online and see how many you can get cheap from there and then use the bookstore as the last resort.
Another problem that your first year in college brings is that of finding your classes. The best idea I ever heard when I got here was to go the night before classes start and walk through my schedule. Just go to each classroom and figure out the easiest way to get there and where its located. Because there are some classes that take almost ten minutes to find based on their very discreet locations. Going the night before and getting a visual image of where the classrooms are helps the when you actually have to go to the classes. It also helps so that when the first day of classes comes around you don't look like the typical freshman lost and unsuccessful in finding their classes.
The last bit of advice for the first weekend you experience of college is to make new friends! Those people at either ends of your hall are going to be there all year. Some maybe will move on to the next dorm with you. But you have to live with them no matter what happens. Being a hermit and staying in your room all the time makes living with twenty-ish other people a really bad experience and is also a very boring one. So get out and make some friends!