by Jennifer Fleming

Created on: January 25, 2009

It has been a decade since I entered college as a freshman. My first year I knew only what older friends and movies had told me. Neither of my parents went to college and therefore couldn't offer advice for getting through that first year. They did provide lots of love and support (not to mention much needed funds) that helped me survive my freshman year. I learned a lot as a freshman and would like to take a moment to offer some advice to anyone who may be attending college for the first time and in need of a little direction.

Attend orientation

At the beginning of the semester the school will offer some sort of orientation for freshmen. Go to this. It will help you feel more comfortable on campus and allow you to socialize and meet new people. Plus, it's usually lots of fun.

Choose your classes wisely

Sometimes it is difficult to know which class to take. Is it best to make the decision based upon the professor teaching the class or the time and day that the class is offered? The answer depends on your situation, sometimes there really is no choice. Especially as a freshman, there will be times when all sections of a particular class are full and you are stuck with taking a class that is offered at an undesirable time or one that has a professor that you are not sure about. First things first, pick out a few sections for each class that interest you and then go hang out in the building where the class is offered. Between classes you will find students who have knowledge of the professor(s) you are considering. Ask these students questions about the classes they are taking and the professors that are teaching them. There are also some places that you can look at online and find out about professors such as ratemyprofessors.com and pickaprof.com. These services are also offered on myspace and facebook as applications. Don't just believe the opinions of one or two people get as many as you can in order to make a more informed decision. Sometimes schools post the syllabi of current classes on their websites. Check them out. This will not only give you an idea of what the workload will be like but will offer insight into the professor as well.

Before registering for any classes, you need to find out who your advisor is and schedule some time with him or her. It is imperative that you allow your advisor to approve your class selection before you register each semester because this person will help make sure that you are remaining on track for graduating with the degree

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