Coming into college, I had expected my classes to be at about the same difficulty level as my junior and senior AP courses. However, due to the structure of the courses that were offered at the university this past school year, half of them being asynchronous, it was very hard for me to learn at my own pace. I needed a little more guidance coming into my first year of college, especially. Thankfully, this coming semester all my courses, at least, are being offered in person. I hope that for incoming freshman that is the case for them as well. If so, they should not have to worry about having to watch the lessons on their own and worry about falling behind on learning material as that affects pretty much all the assignments you complete. I highly recommend taking notes in class while you attend the lecture, and then before an exam rewrite your notes to remember them better. It is a great opportunity that the university offers, being able to have each teacher as an option to mentor you through your course or simply life. I recommend going to office hours, so your teacher gets to know you better, especially if you are less inclined to speak in class. I, myself, struggle with speaking in front of my entire class as I struggle with social anxiety. Even emailing your professor about a question you may have on an assignment allows them to recognize you more and is a gateway to developing a relationship with them. I am very thankful I had the opportunity to come onto campus first and second semester because being around fellow scholars students and simply other students in general kept me on track and focused on what I was set to achieve from going to this university. I surely appreciated the daily reminders of assignments due that usually came up in conversation from one time or another. All of us had a lot to adjust to, so many times we worked together to conquer a task we had never done before. It made it much easier to begin to live on our own by learning new skills together and eventually move towards doing it on our own. What really helped me get to know so many people really began with knocking on everyone’s door the first day that I moved in to get to know everybody on my floor, most of whom ended up being in the same scholars program as me. I would say I was least prepared for the time management skills that our courses required. It is very easy to get caught up in social activities, especially in the beginning of the school year when you are trying to meet new people, but it is important to make sure you prioritize your schoolwork and make sure you are setting enough time of each day to focusing on completing your assignments. The calendar on ELMS was the most helpful tool for me when trying to manage all of my assignments each week. It really helps looking at how many assignments you have due for each day and for what classes, so you can plan out your week accordingly.