Your first year at a state school/party school can be especially difficult. Chances are you are constantly feeling the pressure of going out, meeting new people, and generally enjoying the lack of parental supervision. Persuasive roommates and potential hookups probably don’t help either. But if you are anything like I was, you also want to do well in college. Whatever your reasons are for wanting to get good grades, being in the top of your class at a big state school can have some major advantages down the road. As someone who went to a huge state school (and notorious party school), but also earned straight A’s my freshman year, and graduated with a 3.9 GPA, here are my tips:

Go to class

This is that obvious one that somehow people still seem to forget. If you do nothing else on the list, just do this one. You may be exhausted, hung-over, hungry, and for some reason your foot has hurt ever since you passed out last night, but I’m telling you, go to class. You will retain information that you don’t even realize. On your best of days, listen attentively, take notes, organize your notes, ask questions, and stick around to talk to the professor if you need to. On your worst of days, JUST SHOW UP. I can almost guarantee you will do better than you think. You may think it’s not worth it if you’re falling asleep and not paying attention, but it is. Just the fact that you are there will most likely turn what would have been a C into a B. (Doing the work is where the A happens).

Don’t get drunk on a school night

This can be hard, especially if, like me, you like to drink. Going out is one thing, getting smashed when you have a 10am class the next day is quite another. I noticed pretty early on that there are two types of people that drink alcohol at parties: those who actually like to drink, and those who somehow end up drinking against their will. My guess is if you don’t know which one you are before college, you will find out pretty fast, especially at a party school. I will address how to stay sober on a school night for both types:

Those who like to drink:

You know who you are. You either like the taste of alcohol, you like the feeling of getting buzzed, or you like the feeling of getting drunk. Or maybe it’s all three. I understand this can be a contradiction if you also want to do well in your classes. When I was at school, I really did enjoy drinking, but I also wanted to study. My solution: If you have a class that’s earlier than noon the next day, limit your alcohol intake. Now I’m not saying you have to stay completely sober, and obviously everyone’s tolerance level is different. My general rule of thumb was always if you start to feel buzzed, stop drinking. This way you can drink, have a good time, and enjoy the buzz, but chances are being buzzed is not going to leave you hung-over if you can sleep in; by the time your afternoon class starts, you’ll be fine. Side note: If you enjoy those yummy tasting mixed drinks, beware. Those are traps for making you drunk before you know it. Have one or two and then give yourself a self-sobriety test. If you start to feel dizzy/clumsy/sick/horny/generally obnoxious, I would say it’s time to nurse a beer for the rest of the night.

Those who don't like to drink:

It may sound hard to believe, but there are some people out there who, despite not liking to drink, still end up doing it. Whether just to fit in or be social or as a result of pressure by others, drinking when you don’t want to can, well, suck. If you don’t like the taste of alcohol, or, even worse, if you don’t like the feeling you get (or what happens to you) when you’re drunk, drinking a lot can be a major downfall and can lead to not getting up and going to class the next morning. I’ve found it to be effective in avoiding peer pressure to not drink, but pretend you’re drinking. Or, if you want to have one, just “nurse” it the whole night. The peer pressure tends to not be as prominent if you are still in fact holding a drink. On that same note, if you don’t want to drink, just hold a cup of orange juice or something and enjoy the party. Chances are if you are holding a drink, no one will think to bug you with any of that peer pressure crap. (If you have an ethical problem with lying about drinking, that of course is a judgment call. My guess is that your real friends won’t give you a hard time for not drinking, and those who do aren’t worth your ethical considerations, but that’s just my opinion.)

Finish your work before you go out

Don’t let your roommate convince you that you can do your homework or study when you get home, because no matter how good your intentions are, you won’t want to. You may think, “ I’ll just go grab dinner and then come back and study,” but that can be much easier said than done. If everyone else is staying out, you may want to as well. This can become even more difficult if you don’t have your own mode of transportation. Solution: If your friends are willing, have them wait for you. Finish what you need to finish, and then go. If no one’s willing to wait for you, tell your friends you’ll meet them wherever they are when you are done. If you study and finish your work before hitting the town, you will have a better time anyway because you won’t be constantly worried about what you haven’t finished. This way you can also just come home and just crash, which is much more satisfying.

Find other people like you

A common complaint I would hear in college was that all anyone wants to do is go out and party. After a while it seemed to me that if there were enough people complaining about this, then that must mean that all of these people had the opposite in common. If you are lucky enough to find people with whom you have the desire to study in common, create a support network! Even if you find just one or two other people whom actually study on the weekdays and care about their grades, this can make a huge difference. Call people up to get together at the library, the student center, or even just for some moral support the night before the big exam. Make connections, join a study group, and help people out. I’m NOT suggesting cheating by any means, but sharing notes and answering others’ questions is good karma. Help others out with a subject you excel in, and they will most likely help you out if you need it down the road. The cool thing about going to a big university is you are bound to find people who you have things in common with. Utilize this advantage. If you have trouble finding new friends at the beginning, you’re not the only one. Starting at a new school without knowing very many people at first can be very difficult. Take advantage of the help of parents, mentors, and friends over the phone, even if they are in different states and cities. Don’t make the mistake of feeling the need to “cut ties” or distance yourself as an indicator of your independence. After a while, you will be surprised at how many people you meet who have the same interests and goals as you.

Set aside time to study and make it a daily routine

Establishing study habits is the best way to get good grades in college, yet procrastination is the college student’s best friend and greatest enemy. When you have to study, there is ALWAYS something better going on. We used to say that when you’re bored there’s nothing good on TV, but when you have to study, everything on TV is fascinatingly entertaining. (This has not changed.) My advice: set aside an actual time frame each day (i.e. 3pm to 5pm) for studying. Don’t let yourself do anything else during this time. Even if it seems like you don’t have much to do, read ahead or do research for an upcoming paper during this time. There is always something to do to prepare when you are taking classes. Once your study time frame is over, you will feel deserving to grab the remote, get some food, hit the gym, or whatever. But set that same time frame aside for studying. Stick to your plan and by the end of the week you will have gotten some serious studying done. It’s very easy to think that you don’t HAVE to do something right now, but if you find a time that works for you to ALWAYS study, you can get reading done or research for papers done that may not be the next day, but it will help you to do better and to not be so stressed out come the night before.

If it’s the night before, just DO it

On the other hand, there’s undoubtedly going to be times when you find yourself freaking out at 3am the night before a paper is due with only the heading written. Anyone who says this never happened to him is probably lying. When it comes to this dilemma, I’ve met many people who psych themselves out trying to make their paper perfect at 3am. My advice? Just DO it. Perfect is actually the enemy of good in this instance. If you’re pressed for time, just finish the paper. It doesn’t have to be flawless; it just has to be COMPLETE. Your grade will be much worse if you don’t turn in a paper than if you turn in something that you may consider half-assed. In my four years of undergrad, I never asked for an extension. I wouldn’t recommend anyone ask for an extension, especially at a big public school, where special consideration is few and far between. It also sets you apart as someone who can’t finish an assignment on time, and when you enter the work world, this is unacceptable. Deadlines are deadlines and not meeting one could cost you your job. Yes, in the academic world, you may have more leeway, but why develop bad habits? If it’s a small class your professor may also remember you and this could put you in a bad light. He or she may grade your paper tougher if you turn it in late. So, again, just finish that damn paper. Turn SOMETHING in. Chances are you will do better than you think. And if you don’t, you will know to start sooner on the next one.

Go to the library (or a quiet coffee shop conducive for studying)

Everybody’s different, but I always found that it was extremely hard to study in a dorm/apartment, especially with a roommate (or three). But even if you are alone, slamming doors, thin walls, and the lure of TV, your bed, and that cute guy playing guitar down the hall can be awfully distracting. Try going to the library or a quiet coffee shop (some people prefer a background buzz to complete silence, or they need to have food or drink around to study. My only suggestion would be to try to find a place on campus where people actually go to study rather than to socialize). You’ll be much more likely to do what you need to do without any distractions.

Bonus tip: Find your own private “secret room” if possible. Especially at the library, there are always rooms that don’t get much foot traffic. Look around campus for different buildings that offer that potential. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve studied in unused classrooms. Smaller libraries like the science library or the architecture library are often not nearly as crowded as the main one. I once found a room on campus that literally I think only myself and three other people knew about. It was in the basement of the library. A lot of libraries have individual study rooms that you can get a key for as well. On a similar token, it can be just as beneficial to find an unpopular coffee shop that is incredibly quiet.

Eat right, exercise, and sleep before a test

Trust me, I know how hard all three of these things can be. There is really not enough time when you’re a college student, but do the best you can to treat your body right, especially before a test. On the night before a test, get at LEAST four hours of sleep. (Six is better). If it’s 3am and if you have to get up at 7am, staying awake to avoid sleeping in is not the answer (trust me). Set more than one alarm if you’re really afraid. On nights that I was terrified I was going to sleep through a test the next day, I set two clock alarms and my phone alarm each 5 minutes apart, AND I slept on my couch so that I wouldn’t go into deep REM sleep. All that being said, if you go into an exam on absolutely no sleep, you probably won’t do well. Also try to eat protein on the morning before a test as well (there has been some research that has demonstrated that eating eggs for breakfast can improve your brain function.) Lastly, if it’s the afternoon or night before a test, break up your studying by hitting the gym. It’s good for you and will revitalize you to get back to studying. It will also help you sleep.

Deal with annoying or distracting neighbors/roommates with maturity and tact

I remember how hard this one was for me. Nothing can be more difficult than trying to get some sleep or studying done and having people party like there’s no tomorrow next door (or worse, in your own apartment). There are many articles on how to deal with difficult roommates, but as far as my two cents goes, you will benefit more in the long run if you don’t make enemies. People tend to understand if you need quiet or are stressed beyond belief, but, especially at state school, there are some people who just won’t give a you-know-what. These people are NOT worth fighting with, because chances are that will make them more mad and in turn your freshman year might end up being a nightmare.

Some tips for being tactful and not making enemies with neighbors/roommates:

• Wear wax earplugs

Wax earplugs saved my GPA. There are a Godsend late at night when you don’t want to go the library but need to get some reading done. I used to sleep in them too. If you’re afraid they will make you sleep through your alarm, I will tell you what I did: I wore the earplugs and slept with my phone on “vibrate alarm” on my bed. That way if I couldn’t hear my clock alarm because of the earplugs, the vibration of the bed would wake me up in the morning. It sounds crazy, but it worked for me.

• Don't ask for quiet more than once

You may not agree with me on this one, but my rule of thumb is it’s okay to ask your neighbors or your roommate to turn the music/voices down once, but going in again and again might establish bad relationships. If they don’t honor your request the first time around, it’s not likely they will at all.

Decide what the best study environment is for you, and make it a common place

Your brain makes connections that you may not even be aware of, so establishing study traditions can be a good thing. Research has shown that the following can be effective:

• Study the same subject in the same place.

If you always study anthropology at the Starbucks on Main and University's corner table, or if you always do your math homework in the genealogy room of the library, it is more likely that you will remember the information better and retain what you’ve learned. Going back to the same place to study the same information is beneficial.

• Sit in the same seat in class every time and when you take the exam (if possible).

For the same reasons as above, sit in the same seat during every class because you will remember better. The best thing to do is to take the test in that seat too. This has to do with what’s called “state dependent memory.” Have you ever gone into the kitchen and forgot why you went in there, but as soon as you go back to the bedroom you remember? That’s because the location that you had the original thought initiates the information when you return to that similar state. The same applies to sitting in the same seat where you learn the information while you take the exam. (Sometimes this is unfortunately impossible because you are forced to take the exam in a different classroom.)

Lastly, don’t punish yourself, do reward yourself, and have fun when you deserve it!

Don’t stress yourself out to the point of no return. A bad grade here or there is not going to ruin your life. Even a D on a transcript is not going to stop you from getting what you want in this world as long as you don’t let it. Don’t let counselors, parents, or whoever else convince you that you can’t have any fun and you must always be studying. I remember my dad telling me that I should stay home during Labor Day weekend and catch up on my studying. Instead, I finished my work during the week and went on a road trip to Los Angeles with my friends that weekend. I don’t remember how far behind I got or if I got bad grades because of that trip, but I don’t regret it at all, because looking back I had a blast and made some great memories. College is about doing well and preparing for the future but it is also the only time in your life where you will be able to goof around without very many repercussions. So, don’t punish yourself if you don’t do well once in a while; just keep moving forward. And if you do well, reward yourself! Go out, have fun, make friends, visit neighbors, sleep in, eat sushi, run naked down the hall of your dorm if you feel so inclined (ok, maybe skip that last one). Remember, it’s your freshman year. You only get one, so make some memories.