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20 things college students say they wish they’d known sooner

students on campus giving freshman advice
Read time: 2 min

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SH101 asked more than 2,000 students what they learned the hard way. Check out their recurring themes and highlights — so you can have it easier.

20 things students wish they knew

Transcript

  1. Experiment with courses in subjects you’ve never tried before.
  2. Get to know your professors, TAs, librarians, and RAs.
  3. It’s OK to go to places by yourself.
  4. Introduce yourself immediately to those sitting by you in class.
  5. Get into a routine of working out.
  6. Office hours are some of the best time investments one can make.
  7. Sleep is so worth it.
  8. It’s OK to mess up sometimes.
  9. Utilize all the resources, even ones you think you don’t need.
  10. You can get help on campus for virtually everything.
  11. Don’t freak out too much. We all feel the same way.
  12. If it doesn’t feel right, say something.
  13. Don’t compromise yourself to make someone else happy.
  14. Schedule everything in your calendar.
  15. Say a kind word to the people around you.
  16. Spend less time on your cell phone and Netflix.
  17. Get involved! It will change your entire university experience.
  18. Eating out is the biggest contributing factor to money loss.
  19. Work becomes exponentially harder the longer you wait to tackle it.
  20. Read CampusWell.
GET HELP OR FIND OUT MORE

8 campus resources you should know about: College Parent Central

10 money-saving strategies for college: Forbes

50 ways to make friends in college: About Education

College study abroad and summer programs: Princeton Review

Planning your college class schedule: NerdWallet

Tips for surviving your first year of college: The Washington Post


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What was the most interesting thing you read in this article?

Have you seen at least one thing on that you will apply to everyday life?
Have you seen at least one thing on that caused you to get involved, ask for help, utilize campus resources, or help a friend?
If you could change one thing about , what would it be?
Are there any other topics or angles you would like to see in , that we haven't covered?
First name: ?

Last name:

E-mail:

I do not reside in Nevada Or Hawaii:

Want to increase your chances to win?

Refer up to 3 of your friends and when each visits , you will receive an additional entry into the weekly drawing.

Please note: Unless your friend chooses to opt-in, they will never receive another email from after the initial referral email.

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Have you seen at least one thing on that you will apply to everyday life?
Have you seen at least one thing on that caused you to get involved, ask for help, utilize campus resources, or help a friend?
Are there any other topics or angles you would like to see in , that we haven't covered?
First name: ?

Last name:

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I do not reside in Nevada Or Hawaii:

Want to increase your chances to win?

Refer up to 3 of your friends and when each visits , you will receive an additional entry into the weekly drawing.

Please note: Unless your friend chooses to opt-in, they will never receive another email from after the initial referral email.

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Article sources

Student Health 101 surveys, April 2015 and April 2016.

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