Legally Blind Observations

1. Do your gotdamn homework: Unlike high school, professors aren’t gonna hound you for work. They don’t give a damn if you pass, they have a bunch of other classes and are probably writing their own papers for publication and/or continuing their own education. They don’t have time for your bullshit, so get the homework done. 
2. Stay healthy and stay active: Nothing will screw up your day/semester more than being sick a lot. College will introduce you to a lot of new stuff, including new foods and new locations that may mess with your allergies or whatever have you. Know what you’re eating, and know how it was prepared if you can. Missing class due to sickness is permissible, but definitely avoid the hell out of it. Missing a week of class because you caught a bug from funny food you ate puts you at a huge disadvantage. And stay active. Most schools have a gym that’s free for you to use. Take advantage of it. Staying active in high school, at least in my experience, was a lot easier, because we had mandatory gym. Between homework, partying, staying up late, and video games, staying active in college is a little more difficult for some. 
3. Figure out how to study as soon as you can: Everybody does it a little differently. Personally, I like to read the materials for the test for an hour, then do something mindless for an hour (play video games usually), and then repeat. If I wind my brain up too much for too long, I just don’t wanna do shit, so I do something mindless and fun to keep myself in line. I figured out this “trick” last semester (which was my first semester of my final year… a little late). Find out your trick as soon as you can, and stick to it. 
4. If at all possible, find off-campus housing after your freshman year: This one is more case-by-case, but still something to consider. College is expensive, bottom line. A lot of that cost comes from room and board. Some colleges require freshmen to live on campus for their first year (I know St. John’s did with me). That’s cool, because that’s how you make friends. I really wish I had gotten a job and gotten off-campus housing after my freshman year. I would’ve saved a shit-ton of money. Like I said before, this is case-by-case. In some places this is impossible because you need a car and don’t have one. I go to school in New York City, which isn’t one of those places, but there are plenty of places that are like that. In some cases you won’t have enough money or a roommate who doesn’t suck, etc. etc. 
5. WRAP IT UP: For the love of all that is pure and lovely, have safe sex at all times. STDs are no joke, and neither is getting someone pregnant or getting pregnant yourself. Dudes: wear a fucking condom. Chicks: make sure your dude wears a fucking condom, and if you’re on the pill or whatever magic you ladies are onto these days, make sure you take it/do it/whatever and stay on top of that. Cannot stress this enough. 
6. Don’t be an idiot: This is a wide-ranging rule. College assumes you’re an adult, and will treat you as such. Fighting will get you arrested, and expelled. Getting caught with any kind of illegal drug will get you arrested and expelled. I knew kids that ran a nifty little drug operation out of their dorm freshman year. The cops found out, and I haven’t seen them since. It’s obviously not my place to tell you what to do, and I’m not trying to Dad-talk you, but is getting high or fighting someone worth throwing your ENTIRE COLLEGE CAREER away? Don’t be an idiot. Most schools have a waiting list for classes and dorms. If you fuck up and get kicked out, there are MANY people ready and willing to fill your space, and they will do so in a heartbeat.
7. Sleep is your friend (courtesy of serbu009): Yeah you’re gonna have to pull an all-nighter or two (or three or four), but every night shouldn’t be an all-nighter. Not sleeping can and will hurt you, whether it be through being irritable, sleeping through important alarms, sleeping in class, etc. etc. If any of you have been following me for any reasonable amount of time you know that I tend not to sleep kind of often (at least during breaks from school). I’ve fallen asleep in class, slept through a noon class, etc. etc. It’s not fun and it makes you look and feel like an idiot. Far be it from me to tell you when to go to sleep, but you should know yourself well enough by now to know that if you have a 9am class you need a certain amount of sleep, and how much time it takes you to get ready and get to campus, and plan your night accordingly. Also, as silly as it sounds (especially to you folks still in high school), NAPS WILL SAVE YOU. Even if you don’t necessarily sleep, just resting is amazing and will do wonders for you. I nap at least once every day, either after class or if I have a long break in between classes (because I live off campus and don’t like going back and forth unless I have to do so), find someplace and rest. I even have a chill playlist on my iPod for when it’s loud around me and I need to get some rest. TL;DR: Get enough sleep, nap when you feel you need to. 
8. Get to know your professors: I don’t mean be their best friend, but if you have a class with a professor and do well and enjoy the class, and can take another class with this professor (as long as doing so would contribute to you graduating), do so. Build up a good rapport with as many professors as you can, through class participation, getting good grades, demonstrating understanding of concepts, abstract thinking, study groups, whatever. Do it often, do it as early as you can. This way, when you get to your senior year, you’ll have a stable of professors that are willing to put their academic and professional integrity behind you by writing letters of recommendation, which are amazingly powerful aids in getting you into fellowships, graduate and doctorate programs, and employment opportunities. This was something I personally neglected until very recently, and I’m paying the price for it; I’ve got two out of three recommendation letters and I’m hoping beyond hope I’ll connect with a professor well enough in this final semester to snag the third. Don’t make the same mistake. Between making sure you’re going to graduate, taking any tests (GRE, LSAT, etc. etc.), and trying to figure out where you’ll be after graduation, the last thing you need is another worry piled on. 

I may add stuff to this later, but yeah. This’ll do for meow.