[Al Skierkiewicz]

Realize that college is the single greatest educational opportunity you are likely to have. The school has thoughtfully placed at your disposal dedicated professionals who know what they teach, a great library full of knowledge, labs full of equipment, other students to discuss a wide range of subjects and all of it is in this nice little, compact, community, so it is easy for you to take advantage of it. And there are people to help you through almost any problem that might crop up. Get to know your counselor and all your professors. They are being paid to teach you and help you graduate. They are not the enemy.
Know that temptations exist. Learn how to recognize them and how to avoid them. Those mentioned so far are credit cards, bars, other entertainments, the computer and your room mate or friends. Set times to study and reward yourself when you have completed a task. Get sleep when you can, without it nothing else will work.
Keep a notebook or Palm with you to write down assignments and deadlines. It's hard to plan without knowing what or when.
There are no shortcuts, no easy way to get through, no way for anyone but you to get the job done. If you are reading this, you are already well on your way. It means you are trying to do the right thing and asking for directions.
Keep this in the back of your mind. You (or someone you are really close to ) is paying a lot of money for you to be there and you are investing a huge amount of your time and effort. If you don't go to class, don't try to learn, don't do your best, you are wasting those resources. Conversely, you should not accept an instructor who wastes your resources for the same reasons.
Know that there will be times when it feels like the whole world is against you. They are not! This is usually a condition brought on by lack of sleep or some other essential. Get some sleep, even if it's only a nap and start again later. Things will improve.