Lately, I’ve realized how mean I’ve been to the freshmen. Perhaps it is the nasty annual article about the Purple Lanyard that the Student writes in the first week or my growing jealousy of the new occupants of Charles Pratt Dormitory. But after spraining my foot in tae kwon do last Friday, I thought maybe a little bit of karma was at work. In an attempt to bring the universe back into balance, here are three things I wished I knew in freshman year.

Oh yes, I don’t intend for this post to sound arrogant. And certainly, I don’t expect to know everything–everyone has their different study habits and ways of spending their time at college. So please, go easy on the critiques, alright?

After you start getting extremely sleep-deprived, you start to realize how much time you waste.

I hear you. Facebook, email, and of course, the alluring space of AmhPub keeps you away from that 100+ page reading due tomorrow at 8:30 AM. I never quite understood how people managed to get eight hours of sleep, complete their homework, and still have a life. After watching an extremely conscientious person work for a day (this was on a trip in Atlanta), I started realizing how much time I waste. As Psych 11 taught me, sometimes humans are willing to bear the pain (of childbirth, for example) in return for a greater reward in the future (in this case, a kid). You (guys included) should be willing to grit your teeth and sit down to write that essay or read that reading. The more you wait; the harder it gets.

Need study tips or ways to avoid procrastination? ASK.

Ask your friends. Go to professor’s office hours if you are having trouble with a specific course, even if they seem pointless (it helps to have a list of questions, no matter how general.) You’ll have a better idea of the professor’s expectations for the course, and trust me, they almost always say something different from the first day of class. Ask the Academic Peer Mentors–they have some great handouts on how to speak up in class or how to study for science/math classes. On the wall of the Counseling Center (topmost floor in Johnson Chapel) there are many, many handouts, everything from how to study for a class to avoiding procrastination to how to deal with stress (this handout is especially helpful, in my opinion). Try out different study habits, even if you have done the same thing for twelve years–perhaps, you can improve and create an even better strategy.

Everything worth doing can be done.

You know where your priorities are. You know being determined, working efficiently, and doing your best are things worth doing. And you know what? It doesn’t matter that professors assign a relentless amount of work. Everything worth doing can be done. I believe it.