1) Don’t’ wear your lanyard around your neck. You ask why? Wearing your lanyard around your neck is the number one signifier that you are a newbie.
2) Don’t ask to go to the bathroom. Asking to go to the bathroom interrupts the professor from teaching. Just get up quietly, do your business, and come back!
3) Don’t carry all your books for the day. Carrying all of your books to your classes is silly. They are heavy and unless your professor specifically asks you to bring them, you probably are not going to use them (unless you are an English major)!
4) Don’t walk into the wrong room. Make sure you know where your classes are! Walking into the wrong room with a classroom full of people can be really embarrassing…especially when you sit down and the professor begins class and it’s the wrong one, then you have to awkwardly get up and go to the correct room.
5) Don’t spread yourself too thin. There are so many activities to do on campus and it is really easy to get too involved and get burnt out really quickly. Pace yourself. You’ve got four years!
6) Do start to make friends early. Making friends the first week is so important! People to eat with, walk to class with, and get to know the college with is going to make you feel so much better about being in a new place. You’re going to be so exhausted the first few weeks of class that going to your room and going to bed is all you’re going to want to do but make sure you make spending time with the people you’ve met on campus so far one of your priorities!
7) Do ask questions. If you have a question… ask! There is bound to be another person in the room that has the same question you do, but they are too afraid to ask.
8) Do plan your days. It is important to plan your days including your meals and down time. Always make time before class to get breakfast and and then time after class to take a nap.
9) Do print & keep your syllabus. Your class syllabus is the key to your semester. All of your homework, readings, exams, and papers are all laid out for you. You just have to follow the dates and complete the work and you are golden!
10) Do keep an open mind. College is new and it is going to take some time to get use to. It’s all new. Embrace it!
