As you probably already know, you'll be getting plenty of advice on what you should do when you get to college. From aunts and uncles, to older brothers and sisters and parents, everyone will have some nugget of wisdom that they are dying to share with you.
So how do you deal with this barrage? Our advice: listen to everything, and then use your best personal judgment as to what really applies to you. College is a very personal experience, so there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Don't take every single thing you hear - even from upperclassmen when you get to campus - as absolute truth. Just ask these students…
"The worst advice I received is what classes to take. By that, I mean those where others say you can get an easy "A." The truth is, no class is an easy "A," so don't be fooled if someone tells you that a course is a piece of cake."
Gary H.
SUNY Albany
Someone once told me that college is a lot easier than high school. That is not true. First semester is not that bad, but once you're into second semester, teachers aren't going to be lenient. Classes are a lot harder and more is expected from you as a student. Also, if you miss one day of class or don't keep up with the work, it is really hard to catch up. And teachers are leaving it up to you to be responsible for yourself. They don't accept excuses, so if you miss something like a quiz or a test, good luck trying to make it up!
Desiree G.
University of Scranton
"Someone told me to join a fraternity because fraternities are organized study groups."
Evan N.
Berkeley College
"A relative once told me that you can decide your major any time you want in college. But what they forgot to tell me is that not choosing your major early can make it hard for you to graduate in four years. "
Azeem S.
University of California Davis
"The bad advice I received was that I should schedule lots of afternoon classes so that I could sleep in. The college schedule is a little more lenient, but coming out of high school you are used to an 8:00 to 3:00 or 5:00 schedule. By having classes that don't start until 11:30 everyday, I got on a bad schedule of staying up late, sleeping in late, and not having adequate study time."
Erin C.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
"The worst advice I got was, "If you want to stay awake to study, take an over-the-counter stimulant." Let me tell you, that stuff made me crazy; bad stuff!"
Elizabeth S.
Belleville Area College
"The worst college advice people have given me is to go as far away from home as possible. It is true that you can go to college as far away as you want. My home is only about five minutes from college, but that doesn't mean that I see my family every day. My mom even works on campus, but I only see her when I go to her office. So you should go to the college of your choice, no matter how close to home it is."
Jessica M. Mount
Union College
They say "Everyone is always willing to lend a helping hand." Well, that is not true. I have learned that you have to pick the people who will help you.
Brian R.
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
I entered college upon my retirement from the military. Most of the officers, who already had college degrees, told me I was too old to think about college because I wouldn't fit in and couldn't keep up with those straight out of high school. This has proven to be the worst advice I have ever received. I have been in college for less than one year, and I will receive my Associates in Applied Science this fall semester. I started out with only six semester hours of college credit that the college I chose would accept. I also have maintained a 3.85 GPA and am a member of Phi Theta Kappa.
Richard H. University of Texas-Brownsville
The worst advice I ever got in college: "You really don't have to make a map of the classes you need to take and when. You have all the time in the world to take the classes and it will sort out all by itself."
Christy B.
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
This article originally appeared on Making It Count.
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