The first term of college can be an adventure, to say the least. For the first time, you’re actually responsible for your own actions. You determine when you want to go to class, who you want to hang out with, and what you’re going to drink on Friday night.
With this responsibility comes plenty of mistakes. You can end up failing classes, picking the wrong group of friends, or drinking Natty Ice in some random dude’s basement.
The trick to avoiding these mistakes is using your head.
All it takes to succeed in college is a little bit of common sense. I put a lot of effort into school and work, but I advocate for having fun in college.
Where else are you going to have few responsibilities AND no parents at the same time? Enjoy this. Just don’t be a nimrod.
The importance of attending classes is often underrated by incoming freshmen. Many people are lured into thinking all of the information is in the lecture notes or the textbook, and that attending class is optional. Instead, I’ve learned professors will divulge information only in class as a reward to students who attend. I’ve been offered extra credit, had exam questions announced and gotten more in-depth explanations than the book could offer.
Particularly if you’re an out-of-state student, skipping class is both a waste of time and money. For example, if you’re an in-state student who skips a four-credit MWF class, you’ve just wasted $20. For an out-of-state student skipping the same class, you throw away about $70.
Socially, the first term of college is where some of your most important friendships form. Whether it’s your roommate, someone from down the hall or someone you met in class, the people you associate with can make or break your social life. I was lucky enough to have made good enough friends in my dorm to make up for the contentious relationship I had with my roommate. If you don’t pick the right people to surround yourself with, you can end up hurting your social life, which is a vital part of the freshman experience.
Learning how to party is also important to having a successful first term. Even though the drinking age is 21, that has yet to stop anyone at the University from doing it. But again, responsibility is the key. Don’t get blacked out four times a week, don’t play beer pong in your dorm room, and don’t be loud or obnoxious enough to give DPS a reason to suspect you. If you can adhere to those easy-to-follow rules, your immoral imbibing shouldn’t have too much of a negative effect upon your academics. Even making stupid decisions won’t hurt you if you make them in moderation.
The key to making school work is balancing the major concerns of academics and social life. If you can maintain a quality social life and good grades, you’ve made college work. All it takes is a little responsibility and some well-thought-out decisions to have a successful experience.

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