[Jiae]

haha word ^
I dont need to "make new friends" i have but like iwa nt to make new friends but im not the type to go up to people and just start talking. idk what to say, theres only so much and then it just dies. esp with someone you dont know. you know? haha

Lucky. I have a hard time making new friends.
I heard its hard to have friends (new firneds) in coollege....Only highschool friends are forever friends?
this is baddddd
T.T

[*.:StarryEyeSurprise:.*]

^ that's strange

I heard uni frds last longer

depends on the person I guess

I'm def going to be really close frds with two of my frds from high school

[tRiCkStAr~]

depends on how sociable you are really...

[Xiaoba1tu]

It's not that hard to make new friends in college. I found it easier because there's a larger group of people who you can befriend. If your course has lots of students, it would be easy. If you course has hardly any students, you'll just be close to those..

''Only highschool friends are forever friends'' Hmm.. depends.. you won't be able to see the majority of those friends most of the time.

[Jiae]

^Thanks everyone; gave me reasurrance, haha. ^ ^; My mom said that high school friends would be closer. As opposed to Uni friends are like: Give and Take-kind of situation.

I really do have to work on my social skills however. I'm super shy. ><;

[pockified]

it's not that hard to make friends in college... sure, you might not end up talking to them that much or even see them very much either...

but this is where facebook comes in. (: hahahahaha

just add them on facebook and say hi to them whenever you see them walking on campus. if you happen to find out some people you kind of know are in your classes, ask them if they want to study together or walk to class with you... things like that. it's even easier if your classes with acquaintances are close to noon so you can ask them to grab a bite to eat. but even with that said, you don't HAVE to get close to every single person you meet. that's kind of raising the standards too high. just befriend lots of people because it's beneficial to have a large network of people you know. it comes in handy if you want to just hang out with some people, or they might refer you to a future part-time job, or you can form study groups.

here's a tip: JUST PRETEND YOU'RE OUTGOING EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT! hahahaha. people would automatically think you're a friendly person and it gets easier to continue conversations. i was a pretty shy girl too, but for the first couple months of college i just kept my doors open and overall went around to other rooms/suites to say hi. once you get over the initial shyness, it gets much easier to approach other people (:

[asdfjkl;fdsajkl;]

after reading this thread, im like FREAKING out. and i still have one more year to go.
i second the person the person who asked about having a bike at UT (austin). is the campus really THAT big?
and how hard is it to get into a UC school if you're out of state?

[Jamie™]

I'm nervous as heck for uni, but I'm also soo excited to get out of high school xD
I keep hearing about how hard first year is (I live in Canada btw), and how many people get booted out after first year.. I'm extremely worried

[Xiaoba1tu]

^
I'm not familiar with Canada's college system but I'm sure all you need is a pass (50) to progress to do the next year.
It's different from highschool because in those times you usually need to get more than a pass.

I haven't heard of people getting booted out of the uni too often. The only reason that I can think of as to why would be that they have cheated in an exam (in some cases, in their final year and they wasted all their time studying from the start - have to apply to another uni but not necessarily get in with a bad mark against their name), or they plagiarized in an assignment. There are different levels of plagiarism which I was told about in first year but forgot now.

The 'how hard it is' part depends on your course right? Normally the harder courses like Med/Dent/Pharmacy have higher expectations because everyone else is competing with each other kind of and they are all really smart students.

Thing is, the motivation to study and do the required work is the hardest thing. Haha. (Infinite distractions.) :/
You should be ok, most people get in and out (of uni) fine.

[viper2788]

i would study hard first semester.. or at least keep up with the work. i kinda thought otherwise my first year and my grades went down the drain. you should have fun too whenever possible... just dont let it affect your grades or more importantly, your motivation. i'd say try really hard for at least your first semester so you get off on a good start. im all regrets =/

[peanuts]

after reading this thread, im like FREAKING out. and i still have one more year to go.
i second the person the person who asked about having a bike at UT (austin). is the campus really THAT big?
and how hard is it to get into a UC school if you're out of state?

techinically, since the campus itself is directly downtown, it is pretty much constantly loaded with traffic. The campus is, i pressume, pretty big, like any other major universities, so as to having a bike, it is much easier and quickier to go from one place to the next. but, unless this happens to you, like someone i know, your tires might be in jeopardy. =]

[IATEYOU]

hi! i have a question:

basically i have a high chance of getting a single room next year. which do you think is better: a single, or double?
thanks!

[bigbangnyuh]

yayyy i'm graduating in 15 days & i'll be attending UT starting this fall!!!!!!
does anyone go there who can give me some advice on anything??
lol i know the question's broad, but i'm sooo nervous about going away from home and living completely on my own!!
thanks!

[agnuque]

it's almost only 2 weeks before i officially become a college freshman here in the philippines. my friends who are older said that when it was their first day in college, they were bullied by the 2nd yr kids since the sophomores think that they're already past that stage of being "the newbie". i'm scared out of my wits. but with the advice written here, i'm think i'm gonna be fine. thanks for sharing!

[wintery-days]

ooh nice thread! thank for the tips
yeah got to make a lot of friends there, to avoid loneliness

procastrinate, everyone's problem!
thanks for reminding me that

[inny_cent]

I just recently finished my first year of University at McMaster (Hamilton, ON, Canada) and I want to share some tips.
I, myself, also received a lot of advice before living on campus but I don't think I paid attention, and had to learn the hard way. T_T

Just a few things about me:
I don't party. At all. lol
My program: Science I (for those who might be at Mac)

1. Welcome week is really fun. It'll be the most fun you'll have for the whole year. Enjoy it. Make friends. You'll feel really confident the first week because Welcome Week makes you more open to talk to people. So the first week, if you say 'Hi' to the person next to you in lectures, it's not abnormal. @_@ Don't be shy. Try to get their extensions if they live on campus too.

2. The first week you'll feel as if you have nothing to do. DON'T KID YOURSELF.

3. You'll start to feel disorganized because there are so many things to keep up with. SO GET ORGANIZED! Meaning, get yourself a monthly/weekly calendar. For me, I used the notes (gadgets) on my laptop.

4. HAVE AT LEAST ONE ROOMMATE THAT IS IN THE SAME PROGRAM IS YOU. Believe me, it's convenient and you can help each other out.

5. TIME MANAGEMENT! I can't stress this enough. You can't master it automatically. It takes time to manage time and you eventually learn the hard way if you procrastinate.

6. DON'T SKIP LECTURES. I know this may seem obvious now, but you'll be tempted to do so. Sometimes, your prof WILL GIVE YOU HINTS. There are some things in lectures you can learn that you can't with just reading your textbook. There are also some profs that don't post online notes AT ALL. So be careful.

7. KEEP UP WITH THE COURSE MATERIAL. I know it seems like you don't have any homework. But don't do what I did: test time was the first time I was looking at all my notes. After lecture, spend at least 30 mins looking at the notes and trying to make sense of it at least.

8. YOU MAY FALL ASLEEP IN LECTURES. Yes, this happend a lot to me. Chew gum. At this point I was saying, "What's the point of going to lectures if I'm going to fall asleep anyway?"

9. But the real reason was because I wasn't getting enough SLEEP. WHY? Because I was procrastinating and had to stay up till 3-4 am in the morning and then attend a 8:30 AM class. @___@ See #5.

10. I know you probably think you can do 8:30am everyday. But please, don't test yourself. I'm a morning person, but you will have those late nights and getting up in the morning is a pain + there's a chance you might fall asleep in class. SO... be reasonable with your schedule. I had ALL 8:30am classes the first term and e___e just trust me, okay?

11. LABS. Okay, it's good to have labs later in the week, especially FIRST TERM. Everyone's probably nervous, and you can ask your friends who have it earlier to help you out if you don't understand something. Labs are 3 hours long. I know this sounds scary just coming out of high school. BUT IT'S NOT THAT BAD. It all depends on your TA (Teaching Assistant). After all, they do mark your labs. Make sure you find a smart lab partner too. LOL <3

12. MAKE SURE YOU EAT. Just because you have 5kajillion things to do and stuff to worry about, doesn't mean you should forget to eat properly.

13. TUTORIALS. Some are mandatory, some aren't. We had chemistry tutorials every other week and I NEVER went. I think I should have. T_T FOR MATH- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ATTEND THEM. Even if you have no idea what's going on in lectures, attending the math tutorial REALLY HELPS. It's easier to learn because it's a small class (15-20 students). Biology tutorials- depends on your TA. If he or she is good, you should attend. But if they stink at teaching or you feel you're not learning anything, save that 1 hour and do something constructive. @_@

14. STUDY OVER THE SUMMER. (LOL) SERIOUSLY. Especially if you're in Science. At the beginning they expect you to know A LOT OF ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE.

15. Even if you were the smartest (or one of) person in highschool, you'll feel as if you're the stupidest. I'm not trying to discourage anyone. But my marks were in the high 80's and 90's in high school. But in Uni.. @______@ I got 50's, and 60's. Occasionally I saw a 70 on tests.

16. ASSIGNMENTS. DO THEM. Work hard on them. You'll get little online quizzes also worth like 2% of your total mark, but TRUST ME. 2% can do a lot for your mark.

17. Oh yeah, the first day living alone, you might cry. T_T Please be strong. It's hard living away from your family but they do encourage you. Don't get mad at them (it happens).

18. The food at Mac .. isn't very good. You'll get sick of it quickly. LOL

19. READ MATERIAL BEFORE GOING TO CLASS. This may seem tiresome but trust me, I tried that once (yes, just once T_T) and I knew exactly what the prof was talking about. LOL

20. DON'T STUDY WITH FRIENDS THAT YOU KNOW WILL TALK. @____@ Personally, I'm not a big fan of the library. But everyone's different.

21. NAPS ARE YOUR WORST ENEMY. If you have a early morning class or wake up at 6:30am like me (don't ask..) you might be tempted to take a nap. DON'T. First, you're wasting time. Second, SLEEP IS SOMETHING YOU CAN'T MAKE UP FOR. Lastly, it screws up your sleeping pattern and it becomes a HABIT. DON'T DO IT.

Hmm I think that's it for now. I feel really weird typing all this up, but I hope this wasn't a waste.
I hope someone will benefit from this. (:
University is hard. It's nothing like you imagine.
But TIME MANAGEMENT is the key.
Work hard guys. <3
And good luck.

[kobsk89]

I just recently finished my first year of University at McMaster (Hamilton, ON, Canada) and I want to share some tips.
I, myself, also received a lot of advice before living on campus but I don't think I paid attention, and had to learn the hard way. T_T

Just a few things about me:
I don't party. At all. lol
My program: Science I (for those who might be at Mac)

1. Welcome week is really fun. It'll be the most fun you'll have for the whole year. Enjoy it. Make friends. You'll feel really confident the first week because Welcome Week makes you more open to talk to people. So the first week, if you say 'Hi' to the person next to you in lectures, it's not abnormal. @_@ Don't be shy. Try to get their extensions if they live on campus too.

2. The first week you'll feel as if you have nothing to do. DON'T KID YOURSELF.

3. You'll start to feel disorganized because there are so many things to keep up with. SO GET ORGANIZED! Meaning, get yourself a monthly/weekly calendar. For me, I used the notes (gadgets) on my laptop.

4. HAVE AT LEAST ONE ROOMMATE THAT IS IN THE SAME PROGRAM IS YOU. Believe me, it's convenient and you can help each other out.

5. TIME MANAGEMENT! I can't stress this enough. You can't master it automatically. It takes time to manage time and you eventually learn the hard way if you procrastinate.

6. DON'T SKIP LECTURES. I know this may seem obvious now, but you'll be tempted to do so. Sometimes, your prof WILL GIVE YOU HINTS. There are some things in lectures you can learn that you can't with just reading your textbook. There are also some profs that don't post online notes AT ALL. So be careful.

7. KEEP UP WITH THE COURSE MATERIAL. I know it seems like you don't have any homework. But don't do what I did: test time was the first time I was looking at all my notes. After lecture, spend at least 30 mins looking at the notes and trying to make sense of it at least.

8. YOU MAY FALL ASLEEP IN LECTURES. Yes, this happend a lot to me. Chew gum. At this point I was saying, "What's the point of going to lectures if I'm going to fall asleep anyway?"

9. But the real reason was because I wasn't getting enough SLEEP. WHY? Because I was procrastinating and had to stay up till 3-4 am in the morning and then attend a 8:30 AM class. @___@ See #5.

10. I know you probably think you can do 8:30am everyday. But please, don't test yourself. I'm a morning person, but you will have those late nights and getting up in the morning is a pain + there's a chance you might fall asleep in class. SO... be reasonable with your schedule. I had ALL 8:30am classes the first term and e___e just trust me, okay?

11. LABS. Okay, it's good to have labs later in the week, especially FIRST TERM. Everyone's probably nervous, and you can ask your friends who have it earlier to help you out if you don't understand something. Labs are 3 hours long. I know this sounds scary just coming out of high school. BUT IT'S NOT THAT BAD. It all depends on your TA (Teaching Assistant). After all, they do mark your labs. Make sure you find a smart lab partner too. LOL <3

12. MAKE SURE YOU EAT. Just because you have 5kajillion things to do and stuff to worry about, doesn't mean you should forget to eat properly.

13. TUTORIALS. Some are mandatory, some aren't. We had chemistry tutorials every other week and I NEVER went. I think I should have. T_T FOR MATH- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ATTEND THEM. Even if you have no idea what's going on in lectures, attending the math tutorial REALLY HELPS. It's easier to learn because it's a small class (15-20 students). Biology tutorials- depends on your TA. If he or she is good, you should attend. But if they stink at teaching or you feel you're not learning anything, save that 1 hour and do something constructive. @_@

14. STUDY OVER THE SUMMER. (LOL) SERIOUSLY. Especially if you're in Science. At the beginning they expect you to know A LOT OF ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE.

15. Even if you were the smartest (or one of) person in highschool, you'll feel as if you're the stupidest. I'm not trying to discourage anyone. But my marks were in the high 80's and 90's in high school. But in Uni.. @______@ I got 50's, and 60's. Occasionally I saw a 70 on tests.

16. ASSIGNMENTS. DO THEM. Work hard on them. You'll get little online quizzes also worth like 2% of your total mark, but TRUST ME. 2% can do a lot for your mark.

17. Oh yeah, the first day living alone, you might cry. T_T Please be strong. It's hard living away from your family but they do encourage you. Don't get mad at them (it happens).

18. The food at Mac .. isn't very good. You'll get sick of it quickly. LOL

19. READ MATERIAL BEFORE GOING TO CLASS. This may seem tiresome but trust me, I tried that once (yes, just once T_T) and I knew exactly what the prof was talking about. LOL

20. DON'T STUDY WITH FRIENDS THAT YOU KNOW WILL TALK. @____@ Personally, I'm not a big fan of the library. But everyone's different.

21. NAPS ARE YOUR WORST ENEMY. If you have a early morning class or wake up at 6:30am like me (don't ask..) you might be tempted to take a nap. DON'T. First, you're wasting time. Second, SLEEP IS SOMETHING YOU CAN'T MAKE UP FOR. Lastly, it screws up your sleeping pattern and it becomes a HABIT. DON'T DO IT.

Hmm I think that's it for now. I feel really weird typing all this up, but I hope this wasn't a waste.
I hope someone will benefit from this. (:
University is hard. It's nothing like you imagine.
But TIME MANAGEMENT is the key.
Work hard guys. <3
And good luck.

Lols. Nice list. Thanks for sharing.

[hungrycollegeboy]

Make sure you don't get roommates that smell bad. If you do, make sure you have febreeze or air fresheners.

[star06]

I think the easiest way to make friends is through dorming..
all my friends made friends that way...
and then just all started to network
so it kinda broaden our group...
BUT my main group are still my friends from high school.. hehe ^^

Just don't be afraid to talk to people in your classes or labs
and just make friends..
i noticed ppl in college don't have the tendency to judge as much as ppl did in high school..
there's really no such things as cliques in college.. so don't worry~ !! enjoy yourselves

[vivitu]

I just recently finished my first year of University at McMaster (Hamilton, ON, Canada) and I want to share some tips.
I, myself, also received a lot of advice before living on campus but I don't think I paid attention, and had to learn the hard way. T_T

Just a few things about me:
I don't party. At all. lol
My program: Science I (for those who might be at Mac)

1. Welcome week is really fun. It'll be the most fun you'll have for the whole year. Enjoy it. Make friends. You'll feel really confident the first week because Welcome Week makes you more open to talk to people. So the first week, if you say 'Hi' to the person next to you in lectures, it's not abnormal. @_@ Don't be shy. Try to get their extensions if they live on campus too.
.
.
.

Thanks for sharing these tips ^^

I'm actually pretty much terrified. Cause it's not going to be my first year in college... it's gonna be my first year abroad as well >.< Gosh, I really hope it's not gonna be as scary as it seems.