Tips for freshmen

Tips for freshmen at Purdue:

1. Go to class, it’s only four or five years out of your life and if you go to all of your classes, it will make it much easier to succeed in college. Plus, it is good practice for when you get out of school and have a job.


2. Study ahead. Read ahead. A little preparation can save you a ton of headaches and stress later on in the semester. Don’t procrastinate and your grades will be a lot better.


3. Don’t get too happy about the “great” food in the dining halls because you will soon be tired of it- and have packed on some extra weight. Eat your normal amounts and try to keep a variety in your diet so you don’t end up wasting all of your money on dining out after you do get tired of the campus food.


4. Don’t do all-nighters. They shouldn’t be necessary if you remember rules 1 and 2. And, all-nighters are really bad for you, in every way.


5. Have some fun… but not too much. If you don’t have any fun, school is going to suck and be boring, lonely, and depressing. If you have too much fun, you are going to end up spending extra years here, doing bad, ending up with a crappy job, becoming an alcoholic or a druggy- all kinds of bad stuff.


6. Don’t get a piercing or a tattoo. You will have plenty of time for that stuff when you get older.


7. Don’t suddenly think you are an adult and decide you are going to start having sex, getting drunk, getting high, smoking, etc. etc. Doing those things does not make someone an adult. Graduate college, get a job, find someone to love, by a house- then you can be an adult. Right now you should just concentrate on being a good student. Trust me. You will be happy you didn’t do all of that stupid stuff (I did all of that stuff before and it got me NO where!)


8. Don’t annoy or disturb others during class- it’s just not cool and could actually hurt your grade. I know several instructors that definitely will lower grades without even telling you why. Others will take off some or all of your “participation” points and some will count you absent if you are acting stupid in class.


9. Don’t be an idiot when you go to the computer lab. Treat it like a library and keep noise and disruptions to a minimum. A little common courtesy goes a long way.


10. Take advantage of the free facilities at the RSC. That place rocks and you will be much happier and more successful if you get lots of exercise.

There are probably hundreds of other tips for incoming freshman- but this is a quick list of the main points I could think of. Any other ideas??