College goers of Reddit, what tips would you give a highschooler to help them prepare for/get through college?

Live in the dorm your first year! Some people want to party and drink all the time in off campus housing when they get to college, and trust me you will get that experience at some point in your time there if you want to do it; however, start off in the dorms. Make friends in the dorms because it is not as easy as everyone says to make friends if you don't live by anyone. The dorms are also a great way to ease oneself in to living independently if one is not used to it (doing own laundry, cooking, cleaning).

Get involved in volunteering, clubs, and part-time work. Do things that will make you stay busy, but not too busy. The ideal format would be to have a part-time job where you may work 10 hours a week, be slightly involved in 2 different clubs, and volunteer for a few hours a week on a Monday night (or something like that). Not only does being active in college help you make new friends, but you will also feel better about yourself. Plus, these are all awesome ways to build resumes.

Learn how to manage your time This is not as easy as everyone says. Every day you need to make sure you have some form of down time to play video games, read, work out, watch Netflix, or whatever you do for down time. Try to designate an hour or so a day (at least) to doing homework or studying. If you do not have anything due the next day, find something to work on that you might need done by next week. Don't forget to make time to eat lunch and dinner in your day as well. Last of all, do not get too busy to where you absolutely can't handle it.

Learn how to cook! I can't stress this enough, but yet I am being hypocritical because I can cook very little. My roommates both cook though and they save so much more money than I do. If you can cook even the smallest easy meals, you can go from spending $150 a month on food to $60 or $70. Whether its pasta, frozen pizzas, tacos, etc., you WILL save money.

College is the best time of my life, but it is very stressful at times. If you find a university that you really enjoy, you will have enjoy your time there as well.

/r/AskReddit Thread