I can't believe I am a senior in college. Just a short four years ago I was deciding where I would be going to school. It goes by fast. Very fast. One day you are roaming the campus as a lonely freshman, and pretty soon you are filing your degree audit (if you don't know, I'll tell you what that is!). Now that I have been in college for four years there are so many things I wish I had known. So I have a few tips for students entering college, complete with stories from my last four years.

1) You're an adult now! Welcome! Sometimes, it's not so great. You are responsible for yourself! A girl in my class once needed an extension for a paper and she had her mom call the professor!! None of that! Stand up for yourself and handle your own issues. Also, a deadline is a deadline. If you haven't gotten prior permission, make sure you do things on time!

2) Choose professors wisely! A smiley face can mean an A or a C. What do I mean? www.Ratemyprofessor.com this is a great resource for someone who is trying to pick a professor. It is a professor rating website. A smiley face... they're great!. A blue sad face... avoid them! A chili pepper... they are easy on the eyes! :) Take this with a grain of salt of course, when students fail a class they may take it out the professor. You can usually spot a trend and get a general sense for the professor.

3) Get to know them! A lot of professors are intelligent, amazing, and helpful people. In a class of 200 you may feel lost. Go to their office hours (especially if you need extra help). You may need a recommendation letter or want to do research with them later on in your career.

4) Ask for help! If you're not doing so well in a class, let them know and see if there is anything else you can do. If you need an extension for a due date, ask! If you are having personal issues, tell them! They can't help you if you don't talk. Most professors are reasonable. Often professors take suggestions, such as pushing back a test date if the class seems unprepared.

5) Learn their syllabus! Some professors, I'm thinking of one in-particular, hate giving reminders... so they simply don't. If it is on the syllabus, know it! You will get one for each of your classes at the beginning of the semester. It will contain the grading scale, attendance policy, office hours, contact information, course objectives, outline, and usually due dates and test dates. One professor I had did not tell us about our paper. However the information was on the syllabus, including the requirements and the due date. He never mentioned it in class! Not once! On the day it was due... a lot of students did not turn it in. Look at the syllabus!

1) Get involved! Please please please get involved. Sometimes it isn't what you learn in the classroom but outside that effects who you become. Colleges and universities have some 200 + clubs and organizations. This is the time in your life to find what you love. Discover a new passion. Even if it doesn't lead to a career, who cares?? You will have a great time in college if you are involved. If not, you'll end up in your dorm room all the time hating college. The school I go to isn't a party school, it is not huge in athletics, and at first I hated it. Once I got involved, it was amazing. I had new friends, I was getting recognized around campus from all different kinds of people, I was having fun, building my resume, and enjoying life. At my school we have everything from fraternities and sororities to fishing club, surf club, anime club, a newspaper, tv station, radio station, rock climbing club etc. Or start your own club!

Note: If you join clubs I promise you will be clothed and fed all semester. Meetings and events have free food. They are always giving out t-shirts, jackets, bags, and other promo material.

2) Take care of yourself. Your health will be a big factor in college. With all the stress you're going to be under your immune system is going to hate you for all the overtime it'll have to do! Eat healthy, exercise, don't drink too much! See a counselor on campus if you need to. Have a healthy balance between work and play.

3) Take advantage of resources. At my school on any given day there are always things going on! Mixers, socials, guest speakers, movies, concerts, seminars, workshops... everything!! Take advantage! Get your roomie to go with you and get out there. There are also other resources such as medical resources which is great for students without health insurance. At my school the visit to the doctor is $5. That's it! And we have a dentist that does cleaning for $50 (way cheaper than anywhere else).

4) Get to know the city around you! Sometimes you just have to get off campus. Get to know the hang out spots around campus as well. If it is a new city, get to know it! You can't be confined to campus all four years!

5) College life may not be what you think... or it may be EXACTLY what you think. This depends on the school, the people you meet, and your habits. If every night was like "I Love College" (see below) you'll flunk out, I promise. But a couple nights of fun every now and then isn't a bad thing. Just be responsible :)

Unless you want to be the Van Wilder of your college, you probably want to graduate in four years. Most students DO NOT graduate in four years. Things happen. Major changes, school transfers, failing courses, repeating courses. Whatever the case, there are a few things you can do to meet graduation on time.

1) Degree checklist. This will be your syllabus for college! After you have chosen a major your college will have a "degree checklist." You may not be given this! You have to go and get it yourself! You can find it online or in your college's office. Make sure it is the most up-to-date version. Ok, so this is a checklist of all of the courses you will need to graduate with your degree. Highlight or check them off as you go! I used to keep mine taped to my wall above my desk. This helps you avoid taking courses you don't need. Sure you can so see your advisor, but I've had some advisors that confused me even more. I ended up advising myself for four years. This is fine... if you know 100% what you are doing!!

2) Avoid mistakes! To graduate with a four year degree you need 120 credits. Classes could range from 1 credit-5 credits. Usually the number of credits corresponds to the number of hours in a given week for that course. 3 credits= 3 hours. Some colleges require that the last 30 credits before graduation be taken in-house (at the school you wish to graduate from). Therefore you cannot take a summer class back home at the local community college the semester or two before graduation!! Be careful! I had a friend who could not graduate because he took a repeat course at the community college when he had 27 credits left to graduate!

3) Have somewhat of a plan! Some courses have prerequisites (courses needed prior). So even though you plan to take Biochemistry after biology and chemistry (makes sense right?) realize that organic chemistry may also be a prerequisite (lose you yet??).

4) Know what your grad school wants! If you plan on going to graduate or professional school after college, know what prerequisites they require so you can fit them into your four years.

1) Shop around for books! Use online websites (Amazon, half.com, textbooks.com), share books with friends (I'll take this class now, you'll take it later... we'll swap books), or go to off campus bookstores. My freshman year my books cost $900!! I didn't shop around, I bought them new, from the campus bookstore... not a good idea!

2) Be a good roomie! Treat people how you would like to be treated. Deal with issues with respect and maturity. Do not call your RA at 3am to tell him/her that your roommate turned the air down and you're cold. Yes, as an RA I received that call! Ridiculous I know, but it happened.

3) Know the rules, and follow them! As far as living on campus, just know what the rules are. RAs are slicker than you think. The last thing you want is helping the janitor clean the bathrooms because you got caught doing something you shouldn't have.

4) Register for classes early! Classes fill up fast. You want the best professor at the best time! If you know you won't get up for an 8am class don't register for it!

5) Be organized!! At the beginning of the semester input all of your assignments into a computer calendar (I-cal, outlook, etc.) then print it out for every month. This way you can look and say "Oh I have a paper due on the 22nd, an exam on the 24th, a club meeting on the 25th..." This helps you plan study time as well as fun time :)

6) ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT!!!!!

Your first few months are not going to be easy. A lot of adjustments are going to need to be made. Deal with them the best you can. A lot of college students make their biggest mistakes the first month or two of school. Yes, you are on your own now. Don't take advantage of the freedom (and lack of parental control) to the extreme. BE CAREFUL!! Don't party too much! Get organized early. And start the next four years of your life out right!