I've never come so close to throwing up all over myself as the day that my parents and I pulled up to my college dorm. Choking back the chunks, I walked through the haze of balloons and cheering students into my new home -- where I received a vein-popping hug from my roommate. I was so ready for college, but now left on my own to fend off sneering professors, the freshman 15, drunken upper-class guys and now my overeager housecat of a roommate, I just wanted to puke.
Within a few days, though, I realized that this was going to be easy: I felt like I was born to be a college student. And fending off all of the above things became just a fun part of everyday life -- except for the freshman 15 part. That I definitely could not keep off.
Things have changed a bit since my first year in college, and sometimes the Internet has the best advice for how to get over your freshman woes in order to embrace your college years wholeheartedly.
Sneering Professors Who Want to Flunk You
So you've gotten into college -- that doesn't guarantee that you can stay there. With the advice that Howtostudy.org can give you, you can get a pretty good idea of what to expect from those tweed blazer-wearing, chain-smoking professors. Many of them think they're better than you. (They probably are.) But the key here is to show them why you deserve to be in their class.
Howtostudy.org has got it all: how to take notes, make it through boring lectures, effective study skills and writing tips. The site can also give you insight into your personal learning style, as well as how much procrastination is too much.
Another great site that can help get you through the academic year is TheSemester.com. Other sites try to break down how you should be studying throughout the semester, but this site concentrates on the three most important parts: the first day, midterms and final exams. This site might be for those students not really looking to learn much, but to simply perform well on the tests. It's an attitude that the tweed-coats can usually spot on the first day.
Dealing with Your Wacky Roommate
In my opinion, the key to surviving life in a college dorm is to keep your expectations low. Lower than low. Because whatever can happen, will.
Being prepared, when it comes to dorm life, is key -- whether it's stocking up on earplugs and cough syrup, or just making friends with that one person who owns a car. There are plenty of Web sites that can lend their two cents on how to survive. CollegeConfidential.com is one site that can help you with all of your questions about dorm life, while also providing some realistic information on good computers to buy and how to stock your dorm room so it feels like home.
College-Student-Life.com also has some realistic pre-college advice. This site can help you prepare for the inevitable homesickness you'll experience, deciding if you want to rush a fraternity or sorority, where to buy cheap text books and how to avoid credit card companies that want to stick you in the poorhouse.
Studentnow.com and Collegeboard.com both offer more advice on dealing with your roommate's strange habits (mine ate coffee grounds) and trying to study amid all of the distractions that dorm life will present you with. But no matter how many pairs of shower shoes you arm yourself with, no Web site can prepare you as much as actually living at college can.
