One course that was a big surprise to me was CHEM231: Organic Chemistry. In the past, older students had told me how this class was essentially un-passable. They lamented that their GPA was permanently screwed over because of this class. However, I was happy to find out that this was a slight exaggeration. I found that with enough preparation and practice, this class was very much possible. Additionally, finding smart friends is another easy way to pass. I found that a great chunk of my understanding in this class stems from working with my peers who understand the topics slightly better than I do. To future freshman taking this class, I recommend not freaking out about this class beforehand and not believing everything you might have heard about it. When approaching the class with a calm mind, you'll find that you can understand the topics much better. If you do so, you may just be surprised to realize how do-able this class can be.
The way I connected with my professors was by going to office hours and meeting individually with professors when I needed help. This showed my desire to improve. It is also much easier in small classes to make connections with your professors. For example, my communications class which only has 19 students in it, is the only class in which my professor learned my name. The greatest obstacle in developing a relationship with your professors is just the initial worry or fear associated with asking somebody who is so much more qualified and intelligent than you for help on a topic that is extremely easy to them. However, it is crucial to remember that your professors are there mainly to teach and help you understand topics. Therefore, you should not be apprehensive when approaching them. For incoming freshmen, I would recommend going to office hours and attending study sessions that professors run, to build connections with them. Making yourself known to the professor, by asking questions and showing initiative, is the best ways to build a relationship.
Finding and making friends was one of the aspects of college I was most nervous for. This is also of the parts of college that make adjusting to a new life, away from home, the easiest. Making friends in college is all about being friendly and putting in the effort to hang out with a person outside of the class you met in. Another easy way to make friends is in a lab class. A few of the friends I made this year came directly from me and my lab partners complaining about post-lab questions and studying for lab together. One final way to meet people with similar interests to you is to join a club. I mainly joined clubs that pertained to my major, and in doing so, I was able to make friends that were also in my major. Then, despite being in different sections of the same class, we were able to work together on homework and study for exams together. The greatest obstacle to building these relationships is the time requirement for school often takes precedent over hanging out with friends. That's why, in my opinion, the easiest way to maintain friendships during midterm/final season is to form study groups with friends.
The part of university life that I was not prepared for was time management. College requires a different type of time management than high school demanded. In many classes your grade is based off a few assignments, projects, and exams. Comparatively, in high school there was homework, classwork, and quizzes for every class. For classes that have assignments worth a lot of points that are spread apart, it's crucial to do some work for that project or assignment every day. Otherwise, you will do all the work for the assignment the week or even the day that it is due, making life much harder. When coming to college, it is important to remember to shift your perspective from short term assignments, that are quick and easy, to longer term assignments that require you to carve out dedicated times for study and work. With this shift in perspective, it will be easy for future freshman to keep up with the new type of workload presented in college.