Welcome back to school students. A welcome, also, to those who are riding out their first semester.
College isn’t the easiest life experience. It’s expensive, time consuming, and everyone expects you to work much harder than you actually plan to. In some cases they expect you to work less than you plan to, but if you fall into that category, just do the work and don’t compromise your effort for a night out with friends.
One can get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday college life, and it’s easy to fall behind for students that don’t know the rules of the college road. That’s why we’re here, to help you find those tips and tricks to make sure you get the most out of your time here.
Most of these lifehacks are general knowledge, and there is a wealth of information available to you on the Internet. Recently Reddit had an interesting thread started about college lifehacks, and most, if not all, of this advice is from that. So for more tips and tricks feel free to look it up.
Books. These are extremely important. Make sure to buy all your books for all your classes, but not necessarily from the bookstore. Shop around, and be sure to ask your teachers if you can get an older edition to get the best price. Our bookstore offers a program, BookMatch, through your UVLink account to help find the lowest prices, so start there.
Make sure to introduce yourself to all your teachers. It’s easier for them to help you with your grades, when able, when they can put a face to the name in their grade book. It’s not a bad thing to get to know them and ask for extra credit if you feel like you’re falling behind.
Hang out on campus. You can miss out on some fun events if you aren’t here. It’s as simple as that. If you have an apartment near campus but live close enough to drive home, don’t—at least not every weekend. There is always something happening on campus that you may regret missing later in life.
Get to know people that you normally wouldn’t. College is about challenging your held beliefs and expanding them. If you keep yourself in the same bubble all through college you won’t have as much of an opportunity to grow and change as a person.
Read the syllabus, all the way through. Memorize the important dates. Put them in your digital calendar. Know what you have to do, and when you have to do it. Start it early, even if it’s just putting a line down and having the document ready to go. It helps to have it there.
There are more tips and tricks out there, so be sure to search out other helpful advice.
You’re going to need it.
