A recent Reddit thread posed the question, “What should a high school senior know before going to college?” The post received over 5,000 responses, ranging in everything from “Go to class, go to class, go to class” to “Wear a condom.” We’ve peeled through the thread and picked 16 bits of advice that we think encapsulate aspects of college life seldom talked about in brochures and TV movies. It’s advice for students from students. It’s harsh, it’s accurate and it’s worth a read. You don’t want to be that person who signs up for all 8 a.m. classes first semester, do you? (Side note: We were definitely that person. It was bad.) — By Michaela Gianotti
“Nothing screams ‘FRESHMAN!!!’ like a lanyard around the neck.”
“You don’t need to ask to go to the bathroom. Just get up and go.”
“Go to as many stupid lame icebreaker events as you can in the first couple days/weeks of your first semester … It is really tempting to settle in and nest when you first get there—unpacking your stuff, sorting out your room. SKIP IT. It can wait a couple days while you run around campus doing random nonsense.”
“You won’t be able to get up for 8 a.m. classes. I know you did in high school, but this is different.”
“Don’t run to class if you’re late, people will point and laugh.”
“Don’t ever hang your coat on a wall sprinkler … ever.”
“Get ready to develop intense hate for fire alarms.”
“The first people you meet in college don’t have to be in your friend group. You are going to meet hundreds of new people. You’ll quickly learn what type of people you get along with.”
“If someone had impressed upon me the reality of starting my adult life with $100K in debt, I’d have completely reconsidered how I approached college.”
“If you bring a car to college your freshman year, you will be used as a cab. This is mostly inevitable, so get the most out of it. Charge for gas.”
“Head to the library or a computer lab between classes if you’ve got a couple hours to spare and need to work on homework — don’t go to your dorm.”
“Keep yourself informed about how much you are paying for college. If you realize how much you are paying for classes you are far less likely to skip them.”
“The day after you graduate high school, your social standing in the class hierarchy no longer applies. It’s a clean slate so don’t act like you’re the big man on campus.”
“Never be afraid to ask a stupid question in class and then to go to your professor’s office hours and ask the same dumb question if you didn’t get it.”
“Never buy new textbooks unless absolutely necessary.”
“1. Go to class 2. Do new Sh*t.”