Surviving your freahman year of college.

Freshman year is usually tough for everyone and some don't make the cut of returning for a second, but it is quite easy for an intelligent and fully capable person to get caught in the freedom of decision. Below are my tips for surviving the year, in an academic sense, and if I would have followed these simple rules I would have done a lot better.

Easy tips to follow:

1. ALWAYS go to class. Even if you don't take notes if you pay attention the material will stay in your head.
2. Manage your time and have a plan for the day. Knowing what you're going to do that day is very helpful because you get more done while not wasting time.
3. Get to know your TA on a first name basis. I can't tell you how many times the TA gave me extra points on an exam or even told me what was going to be on the test just because I was friends with them.
4. Analyze the course's syllabus to understand the worth of each project/assignment/test. Every point counts and the small assignments can really add up.
5. Map out the course of the semester. Knowing when every assignment is due can be very helpful and I found that if you buy the large calenders it is easy to write everything out. Being able to visualize what is due a month in advance is very helpful.
6. Do the homework. There is a reason teacher give homework, the extra practice from the assignments definitely helps in the long run.