A course that I took that surprised me was EDHD201: Learning How to Learn. I originally took this course as a major requirement, and initially the topic didn't really interest me much. However, my professor taught this course in a very fun, relaxed manner. She encouraged my classmates and I to transfer the things that we learned in her class into other classes, as well as in real life applications. A tip I'd give to incoming students is to consider who's teaching the course when choosing classes. No matter whether it's a course that you absolutely wanted to take, or a class that you're begrudgingly taking, the professor's teaching style can totally change your perspective of the course, for better or for worse.
Unfortunately I haven't built any strong relationships with any of my professors. A huge reason why I haven't been able to is because I don't attend office hours. I'd recommend that all incoming students take full advantage of office hours. In class, it's hard to leave an impression on your professors, especially if there's a large class size. Office hours really allows you to speak with your professors and TAs one-on-one, and potentially get to know them better.
Having relationships with other students really helps you feel as if you aren't the only person struggling with adjusting to the college workload. It's nice to have a shoulder to lean on when college feels like an endless grind. An obstacle that I had to overcome in pursuing these relationships is having all of my classes online. It's hard to get to know people on zoom, and living at home significantly reduced the amount of interactions I had. Something I'd recommend to incoming freshmen is to put themselves out there. Attending many events and joining clubs will really help you meet new people, especially if you're a commuter.
An aspect of university academic life that I was not prepared for is having to discipline myself to make a schedule and stay on top of my assignments. Many classes move at an extremely fast pace, and it becomes really easy to fall behind. Sometimes trying to keep up with all my assignments felt like a constant uphill battle, especially in moments where I had no motivation. Something that I'd recommend to incoming freshmen is to start doing a task as soon as it's assigned to you. It's not fun to have to spend a whole day working nonstop because you chose to procrastinate until the last minute. Even if you choose not to work on your assignments right away, just taking some time to open it and understand what exactly the assignment is asking you to do will really help.