Survival Tips for Freshmen!

Survival tips for freshmen

In two years here at UAF I have learned countless things, but as far as getting through school with respectable grades and maintaining some level of fun, there are a handful of things you really need to know.

First off, don’t take too many classes right off the bat. I know way too many people who come in to college expecting to do as well as they did in high school and they think taking six classes will be easy. College is harder than high school, and you’re expected to do more out of class work and studying than in high school. You can still graduate in four years even if you only take 13 or 14 credits each semester your first year. If you load yourself up with 18 credits thinking you’re only taking easy classes, you’re going to regret it when you’re trying to study for six finals and all you want to think about is winter or summer break. Especially in a spring like this one, where I haven’t seen a cloud in the sky in over a week, all I want to do is be outside.  Nobody wants to lock themselves in their dorm or the library studying for finals for the last two weeks of the year.

Secondly, take some fun classes! UAF has an entire recreation department that has a ton of awesome classes to take. One fun class in your schedule makes the semester way better, and recreation classes rarely, if ever, have homework or any out of class work time required. Many of the classes offered through Outdoor Adventures have field trips for climbing, mountaineering, camping, and skiing.

Next, stay on top of things, and don’t procrastinate. This is something I still need to learn myself, but occasionally when I do get my things done early it takes a huge weight off my back and I can go climb or ski and not feel guilty about not doing my homework!

Corollary: It is way easier to get homework done in the library or study room than in your dorm or apartment. There are tons of distractions in dorms so if you get down to the library you’ll find yourself being much more productive.

Finally, and this one may seem obvious, but make friends, go hang out with people, have fun! If you bury yourself in class work all year you’re going to go insane, so relax! You don’t want to overstress about school otherwise it will end up hurting your grades.

Everybody has their own advice to give, but these are the things I have found most helpful, hopefully they work for you too!