What is the best piece of college advice you can give to an incoming freshman?

-I sent this to my nephew when he went off to college- The ultimate goal of college is to learn how to learn. In depth, efficiently and effectively. Second goal is to make friends and then more friends. This is networking. It’s fun and rewarding. You will take these friends to your house. They will take you around the world. If you are required 15 Credits per semester take 15 the first semester. The first semester be careful not to trip up. Work unbelievably hard. It sets the tone for the rest of your college career. Then take 16,17 or 18 every semester thereafter. 5 solid classes and then a class of interest not related to your academic direction. By the time you make it to senior year it will be one long and fun cakewalk.
Think of the campus and its offerings as one big Easter Egg hunt. Offerings are innumerable. I learned how to roll kayaks on Friday nights from a flyer. It was free. None of my friends knew. Because they didn’t hunt. Small engine class? Flyfishing club? Scuba trips? Mexico Club open house with free food? Comedians on Tuesday night for $1? Taking classes at Smith and Amherst for the UMass tuition? Found, found, found, found and found. Take Scuba class-It might be a two credit A. Block out a set time to study every day. I used to do early morning to my first class. Then finish up after my last class. Most of my friends screwed around in the evening thinking they were studying. Never miss a class. Tests usually are based on the lecture not the book. Have different sets of friends. Dorm friends, club friends, intramural sports friends, debate friends. Each group will have a different outlook on the school experience. The diversity will make your experience richer. You are rewriting you the moment you show up to orientation. It’s a clean whiteboard. Get out there and create that first impression that you want to be.
Buy books used. Better yet, learn how to get the books online in PDF form. Often times the book is rarely used during the course. Be careful with alcohol and drugs. Addiction and addictive personalities run throughout our family tree. In the lottery of life you are more susceptible to the slippery slope. Learn CPR Learn or keep playing an instrument-any instrument Sing when you want to Learn to tell a good story. Keep practicing that. Maybe do improv? Or find a Toastmasters club. Both are VERY fun. And that skill lasts you through your lifetime both in school and work. Music is magic-remember that See live music as often as you can. Hunt it out on campus and in town. Rock, jazz, classical, vocal, percussion. Awesome. See a comic as often as you can-2 out of every 3 will bomb. It's the one you are looking for. Critical thinking on society at its best. The circuit will bring them through Dartmouth. With roommates, talk everything out. It is work. It is worth it. Set parameters early. What time lights out, what time you expect to study, when to party, SO in the room rules, types of posters you would like and what would offend you. Stand your ground. People eventually respect that. Keep your passport up to date. Relationships will be all you have at the end of life. Maintain and develop them constantly. Save money for a rainy day. It will provide more fun than you can imagine. Figure out after you take out costs for books and fees how much you have per day to spend. This will give you a rough idea so you don’t end up out of money come April, May. It’s a tough position to be in. Mentor someone so your knowledge lives on. Do this your whole life. Learn to cook if they have a cooking class. Do this in your sophomore year or later. (concentrate on studying on the first year) It is an expression of love to feed people with good food and good conversation. Embrace different people. Everyone. Love learning. Books, lectures, smart conversation. Seek them out. Swim. It brings back great and youthful memories. You’ll have access to a pool year round. Take advantage of that. Real success in any relationship is hard, hard work. Write notes (thank you notes, congratulations on major achievements, condolence) on paper to your friends. It has a major impact on relationships. You can always learn a new skill. Find your natural talent. Don’t work on the things you struggle with. Make your bed every morning. It is your first task of the day. Complete that task then move onto the next task. Completed tasks will cascade from there. Then fall into a made bed at the end of the day. One that you made. Life moves fast. Move on from failures, move on from successes. Change is inevitable. Embrace it or be a slave to it. Use sunscreen. Try to eat everything. You will hate things, but you will fall in love with things you never thought you would. Health is a job. Don’t quit that job. Exercise routine will literally make you smarter and it will be easier to study. Be passionate about something. Share your thoughts. Travel as much as you can while you are young. Student travel is cheap. Time is limited. Get out there when you can. Everyone has doubts. Everyone is scared of the future. Everyone is self-conscious. Everyone loves to hear there name. Everyone wants to belong. There are bad people in the world. Even jerks will be at Dartmouth. It's how you react to those people that defines you. You are a catalyst for change. What have you done for someone today? Ask yourself this at the end of every. Laugh and people will laugh with you. Invite people to things Treat people like they're already your friends, even if they aren't yet. Do something for someone without expecting something in return. People you love will make mistakes that will hurt you. Forgiveness is difficult. Compete. In any way you can. It will keep you sharp. Hate is a one-way emotion. It will drain you, exhaust you, eat away at you. It will do nothing to the other person. Live somewhere else. Look into the abroad programs as soon as you get on campus to start dreaming of your junior year. Love yourself. You are a beautiful person. “Have fun”. It was one of the last things my mother said to your father before she died. I live by that motto. You are responsible for you. That will be one of the biggest paradigm shifts you will feel come September. Fix things. If you don't know how, learn. Don't be afraid to say "I'm sorry" and "it's my fault" and mean it. Get excited about something. Try not to care about what others think. Be bold. Pay your credit cards every month. Save money, you will be better off, emotionally, than most other people. Don't get a tattoo. You will bow to me for this advice long after I am gone. Write letters to those people you love. It will be your greatest impact and legacy. Do something you love. For money. Don't smoke. My parents did and I have terrible memories from it. Go to the dentist every 6 months. It will enhance your life in ways that you will not understand now even if I tried to explain it to you. Everyone has a story. Help people when they are in need. Not everyone does this. If you do, it could save a life. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Go fast. Take risks. Calculated risks. Don't take famous people too seriously. Happiness trumps most everything. Ego gets in the way of most things. You are not special. You will have to work for everything you want. It's tough, but achievable. Savor every moment, even the bad ones. It’s life. Think of problems that people face, then solve those problems. You will be rich beyond imagination if you do that. Smile as often as you can. Even if it is fake. Smiling will attract the people you will want to hang out with. Be aware of your surroundings. Walk with purpose, even if you don't have one. Sleep a lot. You will live longer. Dream big dreams for yourself. Make mistakes Try everything once. (within reason)

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