Thanks for all the tips guys!

dont eat yellow snow ...

dont spit in to the wind ..

dont stik ur tongue to a pole in winter

add pizza hut to speed dial...

and no mater how drunk ya get .. dont lick the wall socket to test polarity...

hehe, oh and Live Goldfish are not in the food groups

Don't take 8:00am classes.  Just don't do it.  You may *think* that you'll get up and go, but you won't, especially since 8am classes tend to be boring ones, anyway.

Try to avoid Friday classes.  You won't go.  You'll be too hung over from Thursday bar night.

Don't lend anyone anything- you'll never see it again.

Don't use the dorm laundry unless you really don't like your clothes.

Make friends with upper classmen.  They have cars and most are over 21.

Go to class and do whatever is needed to pass.  You don't want to have to take classes over (god that sucks) or worse yet- get put on academic probation (that will really tick your parents off).

Avoid people who have a bar called "Margaritaville" in their apartment.  It's just bad news.

Avoid cheap beer and cheap wine.  It's just a headache.

Take pictures of your RA as they are bringing in too much beer into their dorm room.  They will leave you alone after that. 

Decorate your door with odd things.  It makes people know who you are.  If somebody ticks you off, put their face on a pink bunny.  If they rip it down- put another one up and say "watch it!  Bunnies multiply!"  If they do it again, put about 150 pink bunnies with their face on it all over the dorm.

if you can avoid the thursday night drinking stuff, you have a real advantage the following day especially if it happens to be an exam day. you breeze thru while your friends are trying to do calculus by counting on their fingers.
it IS inportant to have personal contact with the prof: somehow in conversation you pick up a key that unlocks everything you've been struggling with
if you have a difficult course with a brilliant prof who can't communicate what (s)he knows to save thier life, RUN for the ta's. they're closer in age & experience to you so can usually do a better job of communicating complex subject matter.
this sounds trite, but keep a positive attitude. it's easy to feel overwhelmed at times, but simplly remind yourself that you have what it takes to get you there in the first place, so you surely have what it takes to graduate.
finally, graduate. i know several individuals who are one course shy of their degree (they were drinking thurs nights and flunked it five or six times) and as a matter of pride didn't want to go back when they were 22 or 23. just plain stupid: employers like it when you finish what you began.
call home once in a while to tell your family that you love them and are grateful that you get to go to college. that just makes you a better person. good luck!

Gee....makes me think I'd been missing something....not going to a US College thingie....

All we ever did was grow our hair, smoke weed, and recheck we'd again missed the 'Nam draft while listening to Spectrum, Billy Thorpe, and Daddy Cool....and remembering  Orientation Week where we were told to 'give up, you're surrounded' as there were about a dozen pubs within the surrounding city blocks of the Tech....

As was mentioned earlier, do not load yourself up with debt. Those offers for free credit cards you'll see tons of the first week or two? Well, if need be, fill out the crap and get the freebies. But then cancel/burn/whatever the cards. Do not keep them. If you can't live within your means, learn.

8am classes are to be avoided. And its not because you're hungover really. It's because you're now "free" of being under the watchful eyes of others and if you can't self-motivate to get things done... well... there's always community college. -) Best to avoid part of the stressors and not have to drag your ass out of bed 3 days a week at 8am.

Course I took that advise to heart and am lucky enough to have a job where I don't even wake up until 9am, but that's the exception.

Have friend who are in fraternities, but do not join one first semester freshman year unless you're really really really sure that's your thing. There's always second semester. And future years. Fraternities can be great places to meet people and have fun. They're not always that nice to live at and as you adjust to new time pressures your first year, good for managing your time committments.

Dorm food will suck. Deal with it. Eat something for breakfast if you can, it will help you motor through the day. Find the "specialty" stuff that goes on for dinner in places other than your dorm. Especially if it fits into your schedule when you're out and away for classes, it's a nice change of pace if nothing else.

Don't loan video games, cds, books, clothes, or money to people. Because its not a loan, you're giving it away. Kiss it goodbye.

Make friends with someone with a car. If I need to explain this more, you're too stupid to be going to college.

You are not ready to play drinking games like the woman in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Pace yourself. Remember that water is your friend while AND after you've been drinking. Replace those fluids. Never go to sleep on a totally empty stomach unless you just pass out. Even some saltines and a glass of water by your bed will help.

Shower sandals. And just suck it up and deal with it. Think about an apartment with your friends for sophmore or junior year, but that's a whole nother post. Some people are great to hang out with, some are great to study with, some to party balls with, but that doesn't necessarily mean you want to live with them for a year. I was lucky and had a great set of friends my one year in an apartment.

Bro's before ho's.

Be honest.

Go to class.

Sleep somewhat properly, especially when you've an exam or whatnot the next day. There comes a point when more studying can be in vain. Better to be rested and have some food in your belly than to have been up 36 hours.

Prepare your work ahead of time. Writing essays, writing code for CS, doing whatever the hell it is takes time. Budget it accordingly. Learn to say no. Take some breaks now and then.

Smoke some pot, but don't let it smoke you. The same goes for trying to party 7 nights of the week or assuming the weekend starts on Wednesday night because you only have a 3pm class Friday.

If you need help, learn to ask. Your TA, your prof, whatever.

And have some fun.

Advice. eye als0 learnt me redding & riting.

oh..

don't let others define who you are, fitting *in* is not that big an issue where you should forget who you are...

#13 by Admin Jafo - 8/16/2004 8:04:02 AM The Chalice from the Palace holds the brew that is true....

Hey Jafo, doesn't the flaggon with the dragon hold the pill that is poison? Or do I need to watch the DVD again?

Please forgive the slight hijacking. >


Kid, (I'm 40), do a little of everything. Study, party, play, eat, and sleep. Just use a little balance and common sense. Don't let your friends talk you into partying when you really, really need to study. Unless that's all you been doing then refer to the first two sentences.
[Message Edited]

add pizza hut to speed dial...

Nooooo, add Papa Johns to speed dial.

whooooo haa!!!!

If your taking Design the teachers arent always right and dont be shy to correct them. Most of them use Mac's so you will probably know more about computers then them.