[Melissa Nute]

Manage your time well & Start your work as soon as you get it. I was lucky enough to go to a high school that overloading you with work so you got used to high work loads. A lot of people on my freshman floor did not have that and goofed around until 9pm the night before it was due, needless to say they didn't sleep those nights.

Know there will be nights that you have all-nighters.

If you drink, be smart. Alternate between an alcoholic drink and water. You'll be thankful for it in the morning.

Make friends with upperclassman in your major. They'll be able to help you out if you need it, or even borrow books from.

First semester, only join one or two clubs at most. Overloading with too many extras might be hard to adjust to college life.

Get one credit card through your bank with a small credit limit (~$500.) This teaches you to learn financial responsibility and build credit. Don't use it unless you know you have the money to pay it off though. If the bank keeps increasing your limit, like some banks do, call and have them lower it again.

Mix your hard classes with easier ones each semester.

Don't be afraid to change your focus in school. If you went in for certain major and discovered it wasn't for you, go to something that will make you happy. I did this in a way. I thought through my work with Robotics I wanted to do design, turns out I didn't really enjoy it; however, manufacturing & materials interested me a lot more.

Understand that sometimes people you were really close to in high school aren't that way in college.

Take advantage of internships or co-ops.

Create a resume your freshman year. Get it critiqued by professionals in your area or your school's career center. It helps to have a baseline to add to once you have more experience.

Have a folder/box with all important documents in them - bills, bank statements, passport - in a place where you know you can find them. It helps having them all in one place when you need something.