A Collection of Advice for New College Students

Many new college students turn to the internet for advice. New college freshmen tend to have many uncertainties and questions which may or may not be addressed by parents or friends. I've written a lot of articles with college students in mind, so I feel like an article bringing all of these together via links would be appreciated by incoming college freshmen. In this article, I compile many of my advice articles for new college students. If something interests you, click the link and hopefully you'll find the article helpful.

College Advice - Things to Get
There are a lot of things that new college students need to buy. There are numerous reasons to start shopping early if you haven't already. You may wish to consider places like Craigslist and Freecycle as a source for dorm appliances. When shopping for a laptop for college, there is always the Mac vs. PC debate, and now netbooks are another thing to consider. Other things to consider are a Brita filter and a Nalgene or Camelbak water bottle, as these items will both save money compared to buying bottled water. A lap desk can increase a college student's work space, and there are various creature comforts to consider bringing or buying. Saving space is important in college. When packing, try to bring only things that you actually need. This will save space and keep your dorm room clean.

College Advice - Work and Money
Money is something that causes many college students problems. It's important to know not only how to make money in college, but also how to save money at college. Likewise, working college students have to be able to balance work and college. Preventing theft at college is another way to save money and frustration while at school.

College Advice - Health and Lifestyle
One thing that many college students worry about is gaining weight - specifically the dreaded "freshman fifteen." Eating healthy can help to prevent this, but if you do end up gaining weight during your freshman year at college, there are some things you can do to lose weight the following summer. Staying healthy is important at college because your grades depend on it. Managing addictions, such as those to food, cigarettes, or alcohol, can help you to stay healthy and productive at college. Many college students have sleep problems and there are certain sleep considerations for college students to take into account. However, it's also important to be healthy mentally, and dealing with homesickness constructively can help to do this. New college students may also wish to be green while at school.

College Advice - Relationships and Networking
It's important to network at college. It's so important that I've written a three-part article about networking in college that can be found here, here, and here. It's important to develop professional relationships with professors while at college as well as maintaining friendships from home and preventing roommate problems. If you enter into a relationship while at college, there are certain issues that college couples must face in the summer, as well as ways to cope with these issues.

College Advice - Academics
College isn't easy. Some things that many students struggle with are early college classes, writing in college, and reading in college. If your first semester doesn't go exactly as planned, there are some things you can learn from a difficult semester.

College Advice - Miscellaneous
There are phone numbers that every college student should have on his or her phone, as well as effective ways to organize a computer. Parents of new college students should be aware of common mistakes that parents of college students make. And once the school year ends, you should try to engage yourself in one or more productive summer activities. Here are further tips for staying productive during the summer.

If you are a new college student, or even a returning one, I hope that you can find some of these articles to be useful. Thanks for reading and the best of luck in your academic endeavors!