Hello, incoming freshmen! Starting college is also starting a new chapter in your life and there’s plenty of reasons to be excited about it! Welcome to The University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras campus. I am not biased or anything but this is the best campus there is (okay, maybe I am a little bit biased) but trust me, you’ll have an amazing time here. But first…and no, we are not going to take selfies right now…HerCampus is bringing you a set of tips to survive your first semester as a freshman.
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eBooks are way cheaper than textbooks – Even if your professor doesn’t know…your book might be available in .PDF form and you will probably find it free on the internet. If you can’t find it, there’s always chegg.com, alibris & ecampus. These sites always have well-priced books available for purchasing! Don’t spend more than $40 on a book you’re only using one semester, especially if you’re going to be on that strict college student budget.
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Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore – Most professors don’t care about attendance, but that doesn’t mean you should skip class every time you feel like it. They’re also not responsible for you making up quizzes or tests or of finding ways to boost your grades through extra credit assignments. So many of the schools in Puerto Rico are so small that teachers were practically family and would give you a heads-up if they were concerned about you, but college is a whole different ballgame: you are now solely for your academic performance.
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Socialize! – Don’t close the door to the possibilities of making new friends. Sticking with your high school clique might seem easier to do but also think of the other people that you are missing out on! College friends last a lifetime, even if it hard to think like that right now. Even if you’re a little shy, try to branch out and participate in class discussions or swap phone numbers with the person sitting next to you just in case you need to contact each other. I spent half a semester eating alone because I was afraid of talking to someone, but I learned my lesson and I’m much better because of it!
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All-nighters are not cool – You might feel very badass when tweeting: “all-nighter tonight! :(“ but all-nighters are actually kind of awful for you. Not sleeping is actually counterproductive for the memory part of your brain. This means you’ll be less likely to remember what you studied if you spent all night awake than if you studied for 4 hours and went to sleep and continued the next day. Therefore, organize yourself and break “study time” into small chunks over the week so you can get your work done.
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Don’t be afraid to sit in the front of the room – this will actually help you concentrate! I don’t know about you but sitting in the back of those A/C-powered classrooms actually makes me kind of sleepy. Also, by sitting in the front you’ll be less likely to tweet, Facebook message your mom and/or text that cute guy from French class. Simple: Be That Guy that sits in front and you’ll get an A! Well, maybe not an A, but at least you’ll pay more attention. Yay!
These are just a few tips to get you started and accustomed to our campus. MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR AND…