College 1001

What I learned in my first year of college, it's a bit late coming, but I figured if nothing else it would be a good self evaluation to see what useful life skills I actually accumulated here.

Be brave and strike up conversations with people a lot in the first few weeks. It takes more than simply introducing yourself to someone to get to know them, but you need to start somewhere.

Don't tick off your roommate a lot, it's one of the worst things a person can do because even the room closest to what could be considered home becomes an uncomfortable space.

If possible, use a highligter to identify important points when reading. It saves immeasurable amounts of time when trying to reference something or study for a test.

If a full book is assigned for reading, start as soon as possible. Every other kind of work can be sped up to a certain extent, but reading takes up large chunks of time that can't be rushed.

Once you get behind, it can literally take weeks to catch up.

It's always good to continually meet new people, but a balance must be struck between meeting new ones and tending to established friendships.

Take advantage of the surrounding city and what it has to offer.

Don't walk in the bike lane.

Go to class and take notes. Even if you have no idea what's going on at the time the notes become essential reference tools later.

Beware ads bearing claims of free food, there are almost certainly strings attatched.

You will encounter a guy who thinks he can both sing and play guitar. While he almost certainly can't do at least one of the two, it's simply a situation that has to be coped with.

The stereotypes imposed upon people based on their majors are uncannily accurate.

Before second (and third) guessing a professor, make absolutely sure you have your facts straight.

Prank wars can turn ugly quickly, user beware.

As silly as it sounds, the best way to be happy is simply to be optimistic and believe you can be happy, find a safe way to take enjoyment out of a variety of things, many such things often go unnoticed.

It's not prudent or nice to gossip about people who live on your floor.

On a related note, sound travels very well in dorms.

Lock your room whenever you leave or are sleeping in it.

Turn off the lights when you're not using them and make sure the tap in the bathroom isn't dripping.

Bring some sort of comfortable furniture.

Social status may very well be dependant on Halo skills.

Learning when and how long to hold the door for people is an acquired art form.

It's both a blessing and a curse to be "well-rounded" but probably more of a blessing in the end.

Never eat anything that comes in the porcelain dishes in the dining hall.

It's always smart to keep up friendly, or at least civil, relations with a broad base of people; it's always a welcome site to see a friendly face you can talk to around campus, it provides variety, and it's pretty much just better for both parties in all ways.