by Kyle Rolf

Created on: January 19, 2009

At some point or another, many young adults "leave the nest" and venture off to college. It is with this step we leave behind many of our careless ways and take some big steps toward making it somewhere in the world. And with different settings come different people and events, most of which will be covered here.

While there is no survival guide that can answer your every question and curiosity, there are some generalities regarding college. For one, its much larger and more intimidating than the average 17-something year old will be prepared for. You leave the friendly confines of high school, where everybody knew everybody else and their families. Teachers no longer care to take attendance, as they get paid all the same and it's up to the individual to succeed. While this sounds like an awful experience, worry not - there is hope.

A key element to succeeding in college is knowing people. Yes all those hours and days you spent on instant messengers and social networking websites can be applied to help you pass. Finding others that are taking classes with you can be quite pivotal, especially if you're struggling with the class concepts or happen to miss a class and need the notes. Be sure to make as many friends as possible, and never turn a cold shoulder to someone thats just trying to help, because they might just help you pass.

Before you even choose your professors, do some research to make sure the professor your picking doesn't just have a cool name but can also teach the subject and teach it well. I personally refer to ratemyprofessors.com do get the opinions of other students that took the course with that particular professor. Be wary, some students can be bitter as a result of a poor experience, but for the most part it is a fair and balanced place to refer to.

When choosing your classes (assuming you know who you would like to take what with), think about how you perform at certain times of the day. Are you a late sleeper? If so, that 8am Bio100 class may not be such a good idea after all. Do you do better going to class five times a week for 3 hours a day or 2 days a week going 6 hours at a time? Analyze yourself and your past, find out what works and what wont.

Take classes that are interesting to you! Granted, not everything available is going to make your eyes pop out, but being interested in a subject will lead you to put more effort into a class as opposed to something that would make you pass out by just hearing the name of the class. The key with

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