i'm going to be a freshman this september and, dang, i'm nervous. but it's the good kind of nervous, since i'm also really excited haha.

so, subeta, i call upon your wisdom: give me university tips. i'm also going to move to the uk for the first time lmao, talk about culture shock. (or culinary shock... i hope british coffee isn't as bad as people say it is. ;____;)

I wish I would of had people explain to me how to fill a FASFA out, that was one thing I had the most difficulty in figuring out to do! Also, how loans work and when I would receive my aid would've been helpful to know as well. (I'm sure your university can explain how to do that though) I would reccommend when you get your schedule to keep a paper copy with you and to go a week early and figure out where your classes are going to be. Also, University is a lot harder than high school. You are more independent. (Don't know about you but that scared me a lot) Which means you will have to utilize your time. Write a schedule out in a planner and stick to doing the work you have scheduled for yourself every day. Don't procrastinate and let the work pile up on you, that's stressful. Also, your probably going to want to get a job sooner or later. I have had the experience where the school hadn't given me enough funds to cover the whole semester. Tl;dr but I would've loved to have these tips starting out as a freshman. (Now a sophomore :P )

thankfully i'm going to the uk where the economic part of university is pretty straightforward, so i don't have to worry about FASFA and whatnot. xD and yeah, that's something i'll have to get used to, since i'm a procrastinator by nature unfortunately. u__u

and thanks for the tips!! i'll probably start job hunting after the first semester, since i'd like to get to know the city first and stuff~

Hey! If you're going to university in the UK and you're thinking about getting a job, check up on how many (if any) hours you can work! Certain visas have certain rules.... Also, universities offer a lot of support for students in terms of help with finance, well-being, and extra support for people with disabilities. It varies from uni to uni, but your specific university probably has a web page about it.

Also also: If you're struggling on an assignment, it's always better to turn something in, and get a low grade, than not, and fail. If you are struggling, talk to your tutor about it! They're super helpful ^^

{Edit} Ahhh, I'm sorry! For some reason I thought you were american ^^; final notes: Most British uni's have orientation programs for new international students before term starts, which are very very useful! Less positively, from what I've heard from my eu friends, British banks can be a bit weird about accepting eu-style identity cards as proof of identity, so maybe check with the international students group about what to do? {/Edit}

thanks for the information! that's pretty reassuring~ i don't think i need a visa since i'm an eu citizen heh. and that sucks. but thanks for letting me know, i'll make sure to inform myself about documents and the like. |D

Here are some tips based off what I heard from others and the internet:

1. If you can, pirate textbooks online. If you can't get a specific one, wait until first day to see if professor is going to use the book or not. Buy used textbooks then online or from others or go to the university library since they will usually have a copy. Never buy from the bookstore!

2. Avoid 8am classes if you can. High school makes you think you can survive, you will not.

3. Eat healthy. I know university has tons of junk food and you can have some. Just do it in moderation because the freshman 15 is real and losing fat and weight is a bitch to do.

4. Get to know your TAs and instructors. You don't have to know all of them but they can be helpful with increasing your grades, recommendation letters or with job opportunities.

5. Have a budget. It might seem hard at first because you don't need to worry about it and also it is difficult to track money. Track your money or use Mint or excel or something.

6. Bring an Ethernet cable. Because you might need it and also internet!

7. Take advantage of free food and drinks and goodies. Free stuff is the music to the university student's ears.

8. Do not use Wikipedia as your bibliography source. Instead, use the citation sites at the bottom of the wiki page.

Good luck in university!

• buy used textbooks OR borrow, take them out from the library etc. If you do buy a new one and your college does a buy-back program sell it ASAP

• plan out your courses wisely. Don't over load yourself, but attend as many classes as you can so you can graduate on time and remain on track. Also watch out if there is a class that is not offered every semester or at odd times.

• stay away from Ramen Noodles!

• in your senior year when you know you will graduate, start job searching early

• college/university/etc - doesn't really prepare you for a real world working job, especially if it is one that is in a bubble. Meet and connect with alumni or other people in your prospective field. Take up a job or internship during your time in school. DO NOT do an unpaid internship (it is wrong to work for free!).

+1 to what said, and I'll add a few here:

9. If you're given a choice between professors or TAs, ratemyprofessors is your best friend. Don't assume that you can take on a professor that people gave a 1.8/5.0 for his/her difficulty.

10. If you have access to Netflix, HBO Go, or any other type of movie streaming service, do not trust yourself to be responsible and have someone lock your access for you.

11. When you plan your schedule, take into account the distance between classes. If you're crossing campus 4 times a day and each crossing takes 10-15 minutes, that's up to an hour effectively wasted on a regular basis.

12. The trick is having enough time to do everything; if you haven't already, invest in some sort of planner, whether it be on your phone, computer, etc.

I have a short list, some of which has likely been said in some form or another.

1. Make a study plan and stick to it. Even if it varies each day, have a set time to sit down and study.

2. Complete work on time, if not ahead of schedule. Big paper due at the end of the semester? Start working on it once you know all the requirements for it. Even if it's just collecting sources and writing a paragraph a day.

3. Cite EVERYTHING. Even if it's just a sentence. If you take something from another source that isn't your own idea, cite it.

4. Make nice with any roommates or flatmates. You have to live with these people. Don't be mean or extra rude, even if they are. It just makes things worse. Be polite, considerate, and know who to contact if there are any problems, especially maintenance problems.

5. Get your books used. Amazon, Goodwill, etc. all have decent prices. Some books can also be found as free downloads online.

6. Get a planner. Use it to write down all the times of your classes, as well as any important dates such as due dates for projects and homework. Also write down any events you want to go to so you don't forget them. Write down your study times too. Doing all this lets you budget your time. If you want to work, it also lets you budget time for that.

7. Network. Make friends. Talk to faculty. These all are good ways to get involved as well as to potentially get chosen for important tasks. Make sure to talk to faculty in the department of your specialty as well. It can mean the difference between getting an opportunity for research, events, etc. and being overlooked.

8. Have fun. It's a one of a kind experience. Take a few classes that you think are fun. Go to events around town. Make the most of what you have available.

oh my good thank you all so much for the wisdom!! i i'll definitely keep all of these tips in mind~ n___n

(tho staying away from ramen would have to be the hardest one, ngh i really have to learn how to cook... @.@ )

If you don't know how to cook, rice cookers, pasta, and frozen fish are your friend.

The rice cookers are good if you might need rice for a couple of days. An added bonus is that you don't even need to keep an eye on it while it's cooking.

Pasta and other noodles are like ramen, only less salty and a lot less terri-bad for you. You don't need to go out of your way to get the super-healthy, hyper-powered noodles (if those are even a thing), but getting things like little pasta dumplings or something with things inside them is always a plus.

Frozen fish is good because you literally just need to take a piece of salmon or a piece of you-name-it filet and just toss it into the microwave covered for a few minutes, and boom, reasonably healthy protein-source.

And of course, fruits and veggies, though veggies will likely be easier to come by than fruit. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't go bad!

Wow, now I sound like a mother ;; Best of luck at university, though!! ^^

Just in general be more assertive when it comes to getting answers about your degree plan and whatnot. Use the counselors to your advantage, don't just get pushed around or rushed out the door when you have questions. You're spending too much money not to get everything you possibly can from this.

i sort of know how to prepare pasta, but it's a bit of a last resort since after growing up in an italian family, i've gotten rather bored of it. xD nthank you so much for all this advice though! ; 3 ;

oh yes that's definitely something i'll have to keep in mind. thanks!

I just graduated from college in May so here's some things I wish I'd known, haha

• Don't be afraid to do things by yourself or on your own! I used to literally not go to the dining hall if none of my friends were going and in retrospect this was VERY pathetic. I think in University young adults tend rely very heavily on their friends as a form of support because of the lack of family present. But, doing things on your own from time to time can really open you up to experiences that you wouldn't have had otherwise.

• Take this time to create a healthy work-out schedule if you haven't already. I know that most schools have a gym that is free for students to use and you should definitely abuse this. You'll create healthy habits that you can carry on post-graduation and it'll also tire you out and help you relieve stress.

• If anything is wrong TELL someone - professor, a parent, a friend, a counselor - just talk about it. My grades were shit my second semester of my freshman year and looking back I understand that it was because of a shit storm of things that happened that I didn't talk about and I let them get the best of me. I was able to pick up from there and was just .3 points away from graduating from honors but I can only imagine how much better my GPA would have been if I had only reached out for help when I needed it.

• It was mentioned before but deserves to mentioned again - volunteer! Some degree programs don't require a mandatory internship (I was an education major and had to do a whole semester in a classroom before graduating and it was a blessing) so start volunteering early. This is a great way to get experience, interact with your community, and network. Besides that, you'll create bonds with people who would LOVE to be a reference for you when you're all said and done and looking for a job.

• Do stuff! Find on campus organizations to join, go to festivals, watch plays - anything that is free, go to it! I learned so much from different free lectures. I also got to go to a screening of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and hear John Cameron Mitchell discuss the movie (and this happened 5 years ago and I'm still not over how awesome it was). This will get you out of your room and help you meet people with the same interests as you and it's a great way to de-stress!

I hope you have an awesome first year and best of luck with all the awesome new changes that are going to happen!