My good friend's son is going off to college this fall.   What advice, knowledge, or lesson do you wish you had been given prior to leaving home.

The short list:

www.laddertheory.com/

Swingset's Advice on Women

Add your own.....

I wanna bump this cause I'm heading off to college in the fall as well.

This is the best advice I can give, especially if he wants to be an engineer.

Link

Quoted: This is the best advice I can give, especially if he wants to be an engineer. Link

How do you like MST?

Even if she says she's on the pill, use a condom.

Get a major that pays.  Engineering, medical, legal, something that pays.  I know lots of people who graduated in may with no job waiting.  I as an engineering intern have a job that pays more than this states average household income.  It's work now, but it's better than working a lot harder later.

Tell him to stay in school, get good grades, and graduate. He will always regret later what he choses not to do the next 4 years.....

They know enough, who know to learn.    - Thomas Jefferson (I think)

1.  First term or two select classes that will work for nearly any major.  Many times they change.

2.  Take some accounting classes as electives.  No matter what the major is, basic accounting will help them get to the next level.

3.  Take as high level math and science as the person can.  It will only help in the long run.  Many majors don't require much math or science.  Mine didn't.  I could have gotten by with college algebra and basic science.  I chose to fulfill my math requirements by taking classes that the entering engineering students took.  Same with science.  Instead of getting my 9 credits (or whatever it was) in general science, I took the pre med stuff. It all paid off.  Gives me a bit of an edge in that area.

4.  Treat it like a job.  Hard to do when you are 18.  Get up at a decent hour and go study.  Go to class and study in between until dinner time.  At college there is a lot of wasted time.  Making use of it pays big dividends in good grades and low stress.  In college a person is measured against his/her peers (top grade gets the best initial opportunity).  My biggest regret.  I goofed off way too much as an undergraduate and it made it much harder to get to where I am as a result.  If I had only made a little use of vast periods of wasted time.

5.  Go to class and listen.  Go prepared, having read the material.

6.  Take advantage of the opportunities that a college or University has to offer in addition to the education.  Cultural, recreational, social, etc.  The friends and relationships that are forged will last a lifetime.

Quoted: GO TO CLASS. Its the secret to actually graduating.

Huge +1

From 8-5, your jon is school.  After that, party all you want.

Look at college as a job, and you'll be at the top of your class after 4 yrs.

TXL

"There is a time and place for everything...it's called college".

Party like there is no tomorrow.  Then get up and go to class.

Fuck everything that moves, or holds still.  But wrap that rascal.

Drink until you puke.  But do not drive while impaired.

In short, have FUN, but make your grades.  Both are possible, and really not that hard.

1) Enjoy it...  You will never again be surrounded by that many healthy, intelligent and motivated people your own age.  From such a pool, you are bound to find plenty of friends that are sufficiently compatiable.  An added benefit is that 95+ % of the girls are not married, and those that are in a relationship are typically not in that deep.  

2) Pick your battles...  Some things are not worth getting upset over, somethings are bad, but can be fixed, and some things are permanently bad.  Learn to know which is which, and how to deal with/avoid them.  

3) Use pass/fail classes wisely...  (If they still do that)  

4) Liberals are often good people with political viewpoints often counter to yours.  Leftists are to be hated!  Learn to identify the difference!

5) Don't forget about your school work.  I'm thankful that I went to schoo pre-internet and pre "good" video game, because if I had access to internet porn/games when I was a young, who knows where I would have ended up.

The biggest shock that I see most students having when getting to college is; in high school they go over the material enough times that if you pay attention in class you will become proficient enough to pass the test, in college the professor gives you the material ONCE, and it is up to you to go over it until you are proficient.
Remember, with math and science, it is like playing the piano. You can watch someone play the piano on stage for years and years, it does not mean you can sit down and play the piano.
You can watch the professor work problems on the board day after day, it does not mean you can sit down and work out the problems for the test, you have to practice.

Don't get behind in assignments.  It can be difficult to play catch-up. Work first, then play.

Ask around to eliminate as many of the instructors who shouldn't be on a campus.  

Treat every assignment as studying for a test and you wont have to worry about exams. In other words, learn the material as you go.

Don't hang out with the idiots and party animals.

Women are whores, take advantage of it.

start interning with a good company during your second year

Quoted: Quoted: This is the best advice I can give, especially if he wants to be an engineer. Link How do you like MST?

I like it just fine but I work here.  If you want an excellent education, this is a great choice.  If you want a party school and girls, not so great.  We've lost some students to UMC and they found that they were just another number among a sea of numbers.  They generally didn't like the change much.  

Don't procrastinate. It really pays off to get all the research done and then do the paper as long as possible before it's due. Also, there's a finite amount of library books that the students will get for their work, too. Get your materials squared away ASAP, or you'll be SOL in materials.

Quoted: Get a good degree that gives you an actual skill. Engineering Accounting etc. You don't have to work in that field, but you just might not make it in the "Entertainment Marketing" field.

Excellent point.  I have a degree in Theater Performance.  I'm qualified to be a waiter or a used car salesman.  

The first degree is for grades and the lambskin at the end.

The second degree is where you really start learning.

Let's see if I can think of a few...

1) Live in the dorms freshman year. Just be learning through the mistakes of others it's a crash course in drugs, sex, and alcohol that will prepare you for decisions you will have to make throughout college. Learn from the mistakes of those around you and you won't end up making them yourself. You also develop close friendships that will last you the rest of your college career.

2) Take easy classes that count for something first year. Whether it's the freedom of being away from home or just the adjustment of no homework and all exams, most freshman screw the pooch when it comes to grades. Don't set yourself up for failure. Don't just take all 101 classes, but give yourself some variety that will fluff your GPA and allow you to explore majors a bit.

3) Plan on studying abroad! Studying abroad for a term was one of the best experiences in my college career. Not only was it a lot of fun, I learned more than I ever could from my home university by living with a hose family and immersing myself in a foreign culture and language. With the way globalization is going, cultural sensitivity and international experience are becoming preferred traits.

4) Get involved. Something I was always told but didn't put too much emphasis on. Join random clubs. Put together club sporting teams with friends. It may mean a little more work on the side, but the friendships you make and the opportunities the club involvement creates both during and after college can be very crucial. I'm in my last term, but I've been getting much more involved over the last year. I wish I had gotten more involved earlier.

5) Consider an internship. If you are set on a career path by your Junior year, try to find an internship in that field for the summer between your Junior and Senior year. I never could because I could never afford not being paid. However, internships provide great experience, look great on resumes, and often lead to good jobs straight out of school.

6) Find the student gym/rec center and use it. Start freshmen year. You've no doubt heard about the freshman 15. For some it becomes the freshman 30. College tends to be harder on women than men in terms of fattening up, but both should exercise caution. Men should take advantage of all the testosterone they have at that age. The gym can be an excellent stress relief, a good social event, and prevent the depression a lot of people get as their overall body shape slumps.

Dammit, now I've missed my bus. Looks like I'll be walking to campus this morning.

PM me if there's anything else I may be able to give advise with college-wise.

Quoted: Get a major that pays.  Engineering, medical, legal, something that pays.  I know lots of people who graduated in may with no job waiting.  I as an engineering intern have a job that pays more than this states average household income.  It's work now, but it's better than working a lot harder later.

+1.

Also don't quit. No matter how broke you get or tired of the BS and Classes don't quit. In the end it is more than worth it. Once you earn that Degree they can't take it away from you. Go to class as the others said to. You cannot finish by skipping classes, sitting in your dorm surfing ARFCOM, Fishing, Hunting, Shooting, Chasing Women, Drinking Beer, etc.

I'll echo what has been said about choosing a good major.  Choose one that will give you an actual skill set along with the receipt.  

Forget all the lies you've been told by high school teachers or counselors about college.  There are plenty of instructors/professors/staff you'll encounter that still treat students like children, and plenty of students who expect to be treated that way.  It is quite frustrating.  

There is still a ton of bullshit and idiocy in college academia.  Learn as much as you possibly can.  That should be obvious, but realize that learning isn't what most professors and students are focused on, they're after grades.  The grades won't mean a damn thing down the road, so do what it takes to play the game and maintain a good GPA, but don't lose sight of learning and bettering yourself.  The grade-centric mentality of instructors and students still irritates the hell out of me even in graduate school.

Scrybe's advice is good stuff, and I can attest to all of it with the exception of studying abroad.Be an adult and be responsible, but have a good time.  College-life is an experience like no other and is an absolute blast.  

Have fun.

Here are advices that's aleady given here, and I would recommend.

Jasba Tell him to stay in school, get good grades, and graduate. He will always regret later what he choses not to do the next 4 years.....

CFII GO TO CLASS. Its the secret to actually graduating.

Roguelawyer They know enough, who know to learn. - Thomas Jefferson (I think) 1. First term or two select classes that will work for nearly any major. Many times they change. 2. Take some accounting classes as electives. No matter what the major is, basic accounting will help them get to the next level. 3. Take as high level math and science as the person can. It will only help in the long run. Many majors don't require much math or science. Mine didn't. I could have gotten by with college algebra and basic science. I chose to fulfill my math requirements by taking classes that the entering engineering students took. Same with science. Instead of getting my 9 credits (or whatever it was) in general science, I took the pre med stuff. It all paid off. Gives me a bit of an edge in that area. 4. Treat it like a job. Hard to do when you are 18. Get up at a decent hour and go study. Go to class and study in between until dinner time. At college there is a lot of wasted time. Making use of it pays big dividends in good grades and low stress. In college a person is measured against his/her peers (top grade gets the best initial opportunity). My biggest regret. I goofed off way too much as an undergraduate and it made it much harder to get to where I am as a result. If I had only made a little use of vast periods of wasted time. 5. Go to class and listen. Go prepared, having read the material. 6. Take advantage of the opportunities that a college or University has to offer in addition to the education. Cultural, recreational, social, etc. The friends and relationships that are forged will last a lifetime.

Dr_Dickie The biggest shock that I see most students having when getting to college is; in high school they go over the material enough times that if you pay attention in class you will become proficient enough to pass the test, in college the professor gives you the material ONCE, and it is up to you to go over it until you are proficient. Remember, with math and science, it is like playing the piano. You can watch someone play the piano on stage for years and years, it does not mean you can sit down and play the piano. You can watch the professor work problems on the board day after day, it does not mean you can sit down and work out the problems for the test, you have to practice.

BatcaveSouth Don't get behind in assignments. It can be difficult to play catch-up. Work first, then play. Ask around to eliminate as many of the instructors who shouldn't be on a campus. Treat every assignment as studying for a test and you wont have to worry about exams. In other words, learn the material as you go. Don't hang out with the idiots and party animals.

N1Rampage Don't procrastinate. It really pays off to get all the research done and then do the paper as long as possible before it's due. Also, there's a finite amount of library books that the students will get for their work, too. Get your materials squared away ASAP, or you'll be SOL in materials.

scrybe 1) Live in the dorms freshman year. Just be learning through the mistakes of others it's a crash course in drugs, sex, and alcohol that will prepare you for decisions you will have to make throughout college. Learn from the mistakes of those around you and you won't end up making them yourself. You also develop close friendships that will last you the rest of your college career. 2) Take easy classes that count for something first year. Whether it's the freedom of being away from home or just the adjustment of no homework and all exams, most freshman screw the pooch when it comes to grades. Don't set yourself up for failure. Don't just take all 101 classes, but give yourself some variety that will fluff your GPA and allow you to explore majors a bit. 3) Plan on studying abroad! Studying abroad for a term was one of the best experiences in my college career. Not only was it a lot of fun, I learned more than I ever could from my home university by living with a hose family and immersing myself in a foreign culture and language. With the way globalization is going, cultural sensitivity and international experience are becoming preferred traits. 4) Get involved. Something I was always told but didn't put too much emphasis on. Join random clubs. Put together club sporting teams with friends. It may mean a little more work on the side, but the friendships you make and the opportunities the club involvement creates both during and after college can be very crucial. I'm in my last term, but I've been getting much more involved over the last year. I wish I had gotten more involved earlier. 5) Consider an internship. If you are set on a career path by your Junior year, try to find an internship in that field for the summer between your Junior and Senior year. I never could because I could never afford not being paid. However, internships provide great experience, look great on resumes, and often lead to good jobs straight out of school. 6) Find the student gym/rec center and use it. Start freshmen year. You've no doubt heard about the freshman 15. For some it becomes the freshman 30. College tends to be harder on women than men in terms of fattening up, but both should exercise caution. Men should take advantage of all the testosterone they have at that age. The gym can be an excellent stress relief, a good social event, and prevent the depression a lot of people get as their overall body shape slumps.

BKC1869 Also don't quit. No matter how broke you get or tired of the BS and Classes don't quit. In the end it is more than worth it. Once you earn that Degree they can't take it away from you. Go to class as the others said to. You cannot finish by skipping classes, sitting in your dorm surfing ARFCOM, Fishing, Hunting, Shooting, Chasing Women, Drinking Beer, etc.

Also, make sure you work your ass off and get good GPA in the first year. First year is really important as it will be a good indicator of your college days. You maybe able to get away with taking classes and partying and passing, but getting A is better than B which is better than C. When you get better grades, more doors open for you. One of the things you will notice is that in the fall semester, there are a lot of people, then as it reaches end of spring semester, people drop off. Don't be the ones that drop off.

Finish the work that you started, and to do that you must put effort into learning the materials. If you have hard time, ask for tutoring service. Studying together is good, but having a tutor is better as they know what is important, while peers may all make mistakes. So the ideal solution is to goto a tutor, and then study with buddies. IF you have questions, ask for help in how to solve.

College is about learning many things which could set you for life. In the age we live where a highly skilled individuals get better reward, you can't afford to not take advantage of what college can do for you. To dig deep, you must deep wide first. Give a shot at different activities, get exposed to other ideas and society. Utilize college resources as much as possible too.

When Networking, go for those who actually do something that is useful. If you have a choice of going to a bar with some frat boys or attend a seminar with some people who are interested in learning from corporate world, the choice is obvious. By associating with people who are actually doing something to improve themselves, you maybe better off.

Learn to live with bare essentials. You don't need fancy clothing except for interviews. You don't need to have $20 dinner from a big restaurant every Friday night. Learn to live with very minimum. And no, Wii or Xbox IS NOT an essential item. Your PC should be for studying(primarily). Your food needs to be healthy and enough to support your health and that's it. So many freshman have wrong idea of college life generated by media and hype. It's about studying and improving yourself, not trying to look good or just have a good time.

Prepare in advance. It's already mentioned, but to land a good internship you need to have your resume ready to go in November. Just like school projects, you need to start early. Take some workshops from career center.

College is not about your opinion; its about the teachers opinion.  Few and far between are the teachers that will give you good grades for an opinion differing from their own.

Take what they preach and give it back to them in the papers for good grades.  

Save your activism for after you graduate.  

Until you graduate, college is your job.

Don't fuck off. Go to class, all the time. It pays off.

Do all the work. Review your notes regularly and study well starting a few days before a test.

Pay attention. Focus. Don't settle for not knowing the answer to a question. If there's something you don't know, look it up until you understand it.

It's not as easy as just going to class and taking notes. You will have to devote several hours a day to doing work and reviewing the material. Trust me on this. Nobody wants to spend two hours outside of class for every one hour of class, but it really pays off.

Stay on top of your course work.
Don't get behind. EVER. It sucks. If you stay on top of everything and get stuff done on time, then you'll have plenty of time to fuck around and party. School comes first though.
It's hard to enjoy yourself with school work hanging over your head, so make sure it's taken care of first.

Fook commy colleges.
Go to Westpoint.

Write down the amount for tuition, books, room and board. Divide by number of credits/hours in class per semester. Show them how much they are pissing away if they skip class with a hangover from last night's kegger.

As an enginereing major, I took all of my humanties/social science/fluff classes at a community college over summer and transferred the credits over to my school - saved me a ton of money as I was able to knock a semester off and finish in 3.5 years.

Quoted: Quoted: Fook commy colleges. Go to Westpoint. Don't listen to him.

+1

Senior Military Academies is where its at

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Fook commy colleges. Go to Westpoint. Don't listen to him. +1 Senior Military Academies is where its at

Don't listen to him.

Tell him if he doesn't want to go, don't let anyone convince him to go, because it will just be a waste of money. Make sure he really wants to go and isn't being pressured into it.

Study and do all homework right after your classes for the day are over, then play.

DO NOT PROCRASTINATE.

When all else fails, know when the last day to drop a class without penalty is.

Better to drop it then get a poor grade.

Also, probably not the best idea to register for 8 AM classes unless you have to.

There is no such thing as a college education. What exists is academic hazing.

If you make it through college and don't feel like you have been 'academically hazed', your degree isn't worth a shit.

Useful courses I took in college could have been crammed into 1 semester...maybe 2.

I learned more my first 6 months on the job than in four years of college.

Make sure he reads my post. It will put the next four years of his life in perspective.

Well, I'm a junior myself right now

my advice:

1 - Absolutely do not skip class unless you have a good reason (i.e. somebody died or you have a doctor/dentist appointment). It seems to me the BIGGEST mistake noob freshmen make is that they just goof off and think they'll pass without ever going to class or studying cause they skated through high school. COLLEGE IS NOT HIGH SCHOOL. If you aren't motivated enough to go to class, you should drop out before you rake up a big debt in student loans and ruin your transcript with bad grades.

2 - It's VERY FUN - you're surrounded by people your own age who are as smart and motivated as you are (which I'm reminded of whenever I go home in the summers - I see all of my old HS friends who were either too dumb/lazy, etc. to go to college and realize that I'm glad I got my shit in order when I did). You're going to meet a lot of people that are VERY different from you - different countries, religions, politics, sexuality, etc. My advice - don't shelter yourself from it - see what it's all about first before you reject it; one of my best friends I met at college is a Muslim (Ismaili) from Bombay (or Mumbai, as he often corrects me), India - I've learned a ton about India/south asia from being around him; I'm taking a summer biology course right now and there's a Pakistani guy in there - his jaw about dropped when I started listing off Pakistani cities asking him which one he was from (since Americans don't know shit about geography). Anyway - my point is to keep an open mind and learn as much as you can about current events/international stuff - it not only makes you smarter and more informed, but also more marketable should an opportunity like that ever arise.

3 - Major in something that will pay. If you're good with math/science, go for it. If not, get a business degree. The biggest mistake (IMHO) is majoring in some bullshit liberal arts program - a communications/English degree, elementary education, Philosophy/Humanities/Sociology/Women's Studies, Art/Drama/Music, etc.

The ONLY liberal arts degree that's worth anything IMHO is a foreign language degree - if you're fluent in another language, that's ALWAYS a good thing, particularly if it's an Asian language like Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Russian, etc. - it's a good idea to minor in a foreign language if possible - I'm a Spanish minor myself and it has helped me immensely.

If you want to do that fluffy liberal arts stuff - get a real degree and then go back to school when you have enough money to 'pursue your dream'. In the meantime, you only got one bachelors degree - make it a good one. Basically - get a bachelor of science in science, engineering or business - that's where the money is.

Do NOT sit in your dorm room on a Fri/Sat night studying, that is what Sat/Sun afternoon are for.  Go out, make friends & have fun.

Always keep your dorm door open when you're there, say 'Hi! I'm ___' to everyone that walks by for the first four weeks.

Wait in your dorm hallway around dinner time, get a group together and sit at the same table, its a fast way to build friends.

Attend every social event hosted by your RA or building.  Sure, they're lame, but its a good way to meet other people. And they usually have free food.

Find out who's in your classes and on the same floor, its an easy way to get help when you need it. If you have night classes, make sure you know the girls from your dorm that're in them, walk home together.

Learn how to do laundry before you leave home, calling Mom from the laundry room isnt cool.

Always have food in your room, at least a few Cup-of-Noodles, a few cans of tuna & a jar of peanut butter, it beats getting ripped off by the late night food vendors or the campus quicky-mart.

Put a whiteboard on your door, it's an easy way for people to leave you messages. Write funny stuff on it.

Establish rules on the first day with your roommate.  Discuss study habits, night vs morning times, food policies, drugs & alcohol storage (ie: you dont want his weed in the room), signals for 'a girl's here, go away for an hour', etc.

Take a video game system with you, even a classic like NES or whatever.  It might not be state of the art, but everyone remembers playing it while growing up.

Find a friend with a futon that will let you crash there should your roommate have a girl spend the night. Reciprocate for him/her.

If you know ANYTHING about computers, find a job in one of the various computer labs on campus during spring semester (not fall).  10-15 hours a week at $6-7/hr for studying while waiting for someone to break the printer is easy money and will pay your bar tab for the week.

Find a job related to your major for the summer break, putting that you paid x% of your expenses through summer work is a great resume booster.

ETA:
Bring your own TP! The dorm paper will be horrible and you'll probably have the shits all the time from the dining hall food.

Kharn

Quoted: Even Especially if she says she's on the pill, use a condom.

Because an STD is the last thing you want to bring home from college.

Get an undergrad assistant job to offset the cost of college

Quoted: GO TO CLASS. Its the secret to actually graduating.

Best advice, period.

tag

Quoted: College is not about your opinion; its about the teachers opinion.  Few and far between are the teachers that will give you good grades for an opinion differing from their own. Take what they preach and give it back to them in the papers for good grades.   Save your activism for after you graduate.

I disagree. In my experience, some of the most valuable things I learned in college were from exchanges between myself and a professor with a different opinion. I think I can honestly say that I never received a lower grade based on my disagreement with a professor, but I know that I earned an A in at least 3 classes in which I went round-and-round with the professor.

Of course, I was in engineering, not Liberal Arts. YMMV.

Here's another one: If you miss an assignment or something, just own up to it. Please, please, please, don't go to your professor and complain that you need more time for your ABC123 assignment because you've been working on a project for DEF456. We hate that. Time management is your problem, not mine. We don't draft you into class; you volunteer. Your obligations in the class are exactly the same as your classmates.

That said, if you've got a legitimate problem getting an assignment together, talk to your professor well in advance of the deadline. Contrary to popular opinion, it is far better to ask permission than to beg for forgiveness. Just make sure that the reason for the delay is legitimate. Brown-bottle flu is not a legitimate excuse. Two semesters ago, a student in my class earned an A, despite having her right eye removed over Spring Break and finishing the semester in Chemotherapy. She was a great student; she never gave up. She also raised the bar for me, as far as what I consider "excused absences!"

Go to class. Take notes. Talk to your professors outside of the classroom. Don't piss off the administrative staff of your department. Get a research position. Have a life, but remember that you're a student first. Call your folks when things are good; call them more when things are bad. Keep in touch with your friends from high school who are going to different colleges. Join the student chapter of a professional organization in your field of study - then go to the meetings and participate, for crying out loud. Know the library inside and out. Learn how to use software you've never seen before. Take advantage of the free (or cheap) legal aid.