What I learned from my first semester of college!

It is currently December which means that I am officially done with my first semester at college! The results are in! I passed all my classes, made friends, found a job on campus, and joined a club! So what did I learn? What will I do differently next semester? What will I do exactly the same?

Staying Organized!

• One thing that I did to stay organized and make sure all my assignments were turned in on time was to print out my syllabus and put it in the front of each binder. This way you will always be reminded of when an assignment is due! 
• In your room it is a good idea to make a spot for all your textbooks. The worst thing you can do is be in a rush for class and misplace your textbook. My dorm came with a desk that has a shelve above it, thats where I keep my books.
• Prepare the night before! I cant tell you how many times I woke up with 10 minutes to get to my class. It is a good idea to lay out piles the night before. This way in the morning all you have to do is grab that pile of books and go! 
• Everyone has there own way of staying organized, this is how I did it. I have a binder for every class with a folder inside of it. I also have looseleaf paper. In addition to that I put my syllabus in it. Find out what works for you. 

Roommates! 

• You have to understand that problems will arise! There is no going around this. The difference between good roommates and bad roommates is whether you can make it past the problems. The way you do this is by discussing your problems. If you don't like something your roommate is doing bring it up with them. If they don't know what they are doing wrong they are not going to change. This also goes the opposite way as well. If your roommate brings something up you have to respect them. Listen. Talk. Come to a solution. 

The fun stuff! 

• Going out every night might seem like a great idea at the time but trust me YOU ARE WRONG. There is a reason sleep is required. You are not going to learn as well, or function as well.  Remember why you are at college. You are here to learn and get a degree. Now I'm not saying that you cant hang out with your friends ever but do it in moderation. Find a balance between school, sleep, and social life. 

Getting sick!

•  All I can say about this is be prepared. I don't care how good you think your immune system is or how often you sanitize or how clean you keep your room. Sure this stuff helps, but you are going to get sick. Prepare for this when you go to school I cant tell you how many times I made emergency runs to the local drug store for NyQuil. 

Food! 

• You are going to be on your own now so you are going to want to eat everything your parents wouldn't let you. DO NOT DO THIS. They didn't let you have it for a reason. Telling yourself that you will work it off tomorrow is never a good idea and chances are you wont, so just don't. The freshman 15 is not required. Make healthy choices and it wont happen to you. 

Homework! 

• I can not stress enough how much you need to do this. You will get a lot of readings, READ THEM! Even if they seem irrelevant at the time they will creep back up I promise! In addition to the readings keep up with your assignments. Keep a calendar and plan out what you should do every night.