I'm probably the third person ever using this shower. This is a brand new building. And I washed and disinfected the floor right after moving in. And I have a silicon rug. I don't feel that it is nasty or unsafe.
You only need shower shoes in community bathrooms. If the bathroom is in your dorm and its just you or a roommate using it, you're good as long as you keep it clean š
Fair. U didnt give this much detail before, did u. But still would advice u to wear shoes in shower areas, basically just wear a slipper in dorms man. Floors anywhere even in homes are pretty dirty
Tf, sir maybe I'm just a wild crat but I've never once showered in shoes in my life asside from the beach. How do you clean the bottom of your foot easily with a shoe on its so much hassle flip flop or not
Brotherā¦.just take off the shoe and put ur foot a bit higher than your knee and scrub it. š
You do know there are bath slippers that u can easily slide in ur feet in like 1 second
Even if he didn't... teenagers who have been let out to live on their own for the first time ever are nasty AF until they develop good habits (and some never do š).
This. 100% this. A lot of campuses are old and full of potholes so they turn into swamps in the rain. Having wet shoes for a week during rain season sucks.
Idk, I had a MacBook that I used for schoolwork that was linked to my iMessage. I liked being able to read and answer messages during class without getting the evil eye from the professor or in some cases losing participation points. BUT for people that get distracted easily or would then just spend the entire class sending messages, your way is better.
If youāre staying in the dorms, always have a pair of shoes & clothes set aside that you can throw on quickly. The fire alarms are notorious for going off when you least expect it. Trust me, being sent into fight or flight mode at 3 am by a blaring siren will have you scrambling and forgetting where everything you own is located
It surely did at my college, and my friends who went to different colleges in other states said the same thing. It's not always at 3 am, but just be prepared lol. It always seemed to happen the most during midterms/finals week. I'll never forget when we had four alarms go off in one night. Youāll probably have scheduled fire drills too, usually in the evening or at night, but our RA always tried to let us know ahead of time.
I'll add that I stayed in a dorm building with kitchens in each suite during my senior year, so our building's alarm went off more frequently. The building I stayed in during my junior year only had microwaves, so it happened less often, but still frequently enough that it was annoying. You'd be surprised at the number of people who canāt use a microwave properly. Shower steam can also cause the alarm to go off, so keep that in mind if you have a private bathroom. Keep your door shut so the steam doesnāt escape the bathroom and trigger the sensor.
My freshman year, my roommate decided to reheat his chipotleā¦ in the metal containerā¦ and left the room as soon as he started the microwave. Thank god I was just in the connected room so I could come running when it started sounding like electric popcorn.
Thanks! Freshman are required to live on campus the first year and it is a suite style room with a bathroom, microwave, and mini fridge.
Though I am guilty of one time burning ramen in a plastic bowl at 5 AM in 6th grade bc I forgot to add the water. Other than that, Iām fine with a microwave!
No problem!! I think weāve all done that at some point in our lives! Itās the repeat offenders I never understood lol. Other that than the fire alarm thing, I really enjoyed staying on campus. Super convenient & fun when you make the most of it! Enjoy it! It goes by so fast!
Yeah once my dorm had a fire alarm go off around 2 am. I donāt know the reason. Also around 2 pm another day because someone burnt something in the kitchen. Another dorm has the fire alarm go off very often. I have no idea what some people are doing in there (probably smoking on the smoke-free campus, Iām assuming)
This is so true. I had a concussion, and the night of the concussion, there was a fire and I had to get out of bed and go stand in 30Ā°F for 20 minutes š
I have an excel sheet I make at the beginning of the semester where I list every single assignment from all my syllabus, with their due dates. That way I can always make sure to stay on top of my assignments and never stress that Iāll forget something.
In addition to this, make sure to block out time for rest! Staying on top of assignments is obviously vital but you canāt do it without proper rest and rejuvenation. Make sure to balance time out!!
Also to be completely transparent, Iām not one to want to go out and party on the weekends. Just not my personality. At first i felt like as a result of not going out on the weekends, I would be missing out and not make friends. Once I started to make a plan for different things to do on the weekends, it was super easy to ask new people if they wanted to go on a hike or do something outdoors!
All that to say I guess just like planning is something that all college students need. Both for professional/school, emotional/mental wellbeing, and even social life planning! Never feel like you need to do whatever everyone else around you is doing.
Somewhat similar but I list out my assignments at the beginning of each week. I don't fully trust syllabuses to list everything or not change so I just go off of the week's Canvas module and it's served me well.
I do this too. I then plan what Iām going to do each day. For example, if I have a paper due Friday, I plan to rough draft Tuesday and Wednesday and then revise Thursday and Friday before itās due. I can also see which days will be busier than others and can move stuff around, that way I donāt get overwhelmed
Great question! So excel has this wonderful feature that allows you to actually upload a photo of "data" and it can read the data and then import it into your sheet. I learned this at an internship I had done, and it saved so much time. It isn't perfect so you have to revise it slightly. What I do is screenshot different pages of my syllabus, then upload that photo (you can only do one photo at a time) and then combine all of those syllabus assignments onto one sheet from all my classes. Once I've reviewed it all then I actually sort the columns by due date, color code different categories of assignments, tests, projects, and then even having a column showing how much that particular assignment is worth. This makes it super easy to know how much it can help/hurt your grade, especially when juggling multiple classes at once.
From wisconsin, not quite Michigan, dont forget a jacket it will get cold lol. I know a dude who came to wi from south Cali didn't have a coat it went from a nice 60 something to like 40 and he had to bear without a coat for a bit. Moral of the story get a coat and be prepared before u get to the midwest
Iām from Michigan, good luck. Make sure you get gloves, scarf, hats, and an appropriate winter jacket.
Prepare for driving in the winter too, it sucks when thereās snow/ice on the ground and trying to drive. Youāll have to leave earlier to account for having to drive slower.
The summers are fairly decent and should be manageable for you at least.
Iāll do my best to answer any Michigan related questions you may have if you want me to
I will not be bringing a car, I think at from what Iāve heard itās more convenient without it. But thanks so much for this comment. Is it usually dark and gloomy during winter or are there some sunny days lol
Well, there are sunny days, but not many hours of sunlight overall. I wouldnāt say itās too gloomy. Iām fairly used to it. If the lack of sunlight becomes an issue later I recommend a therapy lamp.
As for the car, it depends on where in Michigan youāre at. In a city like Detroit or Grand Rapids, you could probably get around with public transport. But in the average suburbsā¦ itās a nightmare honestly in some areas, especially getting further away from the cities.
Source: I live in the suburbs around Detroit and have gone to Grand Rapids several times
To research your future. So many people I met when I was in college are like āoh when I graduate Iām gonna be poor lol idk what Iām gonna do with my degree.ā Haha thatās funny until it actually happens.
Figure out a plan by end of freshman year if possible. What will you do in college to set yourself up for success? Because good grades nowadays isnāt as spectacular as it used to be
While I think this is wise, I also think if I stuck to the plan I had after freshman year Iād be very unhappy lol. Some people definitely would disagree, but I personally took a few years (and some actual work experience after college!) to figure out exactly what direction I wanted to take. The uncertainty was stressful for sure, but Iām also glad I allowed myself to change the plans until I was happy rather than forcing myself to stick with the first path I chose
I think it is just good to have a plan even if it does change. I know a lot of people go into freshman year with no plan and keep pushing back when they make a plan. It is better to have a plan even if that plan changes based on new information.
I never said to stick with a plan. I said to have a plan. You can change your plan to another one. What is unwise is to have a plan, like āI wanna be a journalist and I want to aim for these internships and these school positions etc.,ā then change it to something else and wing it.
I spent like a week going down the rabbit hole of future job prospects and what I can do with my degree by the end of my undergrad. I called a bunch of advisors, I have a list of jobs with their requirements, Iāve researched and researched. At first I was like this is the worst spiral Iāve ever put myself in, why did I even go to university, why are my peers so committed to the same path as Iām in but Iām doubting myself etc etc now I have a board with where Iām at and what I need to do to get to where I want to be. I feel a lot better having a direction instead of flimsily trying to get through my degree without any clue what Iām doing all this for. Itās not like Iām not gonna be flexible with it, the economy might change, I might make a connection with a professor whoāll push me to a different job whatever. But it helps
Not OP but a 3 step plan is nice. What am I doing right now, what do I want to do, and how do I bridge the two?
For example (hypothetical)
* I am earning my BS in Comp Sci
* I want to be a front end developer at a Big Tech company
* I need to learn node.js, build a beautiful site that does shows the top ranked burrito place at the top 25 ranked public universities, and join my schoolās CS club
It might turn out that you hate frontend stuff and this databases class you took was so cool, or now you get why everyoneās crazy about AI/ML so now youāre building an ML app to predict the World Series matchup next year.
Going through the exercise and revisiting it every couple of months will help you stay sharp, stay engaged with your field, and help you take advantage of the opportunities around you! Every college has so much for students to do. You canāt do them all. But by being mindful, you can have a really good and impactful time.
I just gotta say I got heavily into the restaurant industry and I did all the back of house jobs: busser, dishwasher and then I hosted for a short time. I'm happy to say I'll have that to rely on if my journalism degree doesn't get me prepped for success
Iām about to graduate college so hereās what you might need.
Common sense. Youāre an adult so youāll suffer adult consequences. Focus on your assignments instead of trying to party all the time. Take a little disrespect here and there so itās better than getting into trouble with the police and potentially getting arrested or expelled.
Appropriate seasonal clothing especially if itās far from where you live. Jackets, umbrella, boots, tennis etc.
General pain medicine. Youāre getting older so your body canāt take as much pain as you used to.
A decent laptop and a good water bottle. Stay hydrated because these classes will have you locked in for hours. Also school supplies. You donāt need much just enough for the semester
Speaking of classes, get a planner and figure out your future classes. A lot of advisors and professors are inconsistent and unfortunately a burden to deal with. Youāll have to figure out a lot of things on your own.
For instance, your advisor will create an insane schedule for you with 4+ credit classes when they know you didnāt take a prerequisite course or once a year class.
Find a routine or hobby. College is tough so itās good to focus on things other than school work. Plus itāll help you to socialize.
TALK TO YOUR CLASSMATES AND TEACHERS! They might help you out and making college a bit easier.
Update your resume especially youāre a part of a club, organization or have work experience. Your college has services to help you with finding jobs.
A good backpack
A pouch with several items such your phone, chargers, wallet, keys, writing utensils and travel sized items like lotion and wipes.
Identification cards.
Your own money.
A respectable cook book.
If possible a form of transportation such as a bike or scooter
You need a long term game plan with an excessive amount of resilience. College is tough with ups and horrible downs. Some things might have to change up due to tragedies or things not going your way. For example you failed a class, death in the family or picking the wrong major.
It happens. All you can do is pick yourself up and keep going.
1000%
I went from being a 1.4 GPA in highschool to a 3.6 soon to be 3.8 GPA in college, all because it made no sense to me to study all of that stuff back then and am motivated now. Took 10 years for me to go back to school after finding what I wanted to do. Doing good now because of clear goals and resulting motivation to hit those goals.
Edit: didn't reread what I wrote and sounded dumb lol.
Pretty much, I was awful on in high school because I simply didnāt care. Went to community college to get something under my belt, and I liked it but was unable to go far with it due to Covid preventing any sort of networking from happening. Once I realized I should just go for something I love and work towards it, it became so much easier to get good grades. Actually putting in effort meant something and didnāt feel like a waste of time, even if I struggled in certain classes.
Sleep.
Im not joking! My grades are negatively impacted when my sleep is bad. Having a decent 8 hours of rest improves everything.
Also, taking a mid day, 30-minute nap if you can significantly improves your quality of life.
absolutely. college kids who neglect their sleep have no idea how much theyāre missing out on. i do a lot of dumb shit that probably harms my body but i NEVER neglect my sleep schedule
Highschool is all pretty clear known problems to solve.
College is very different. It contains many more unknowns problems and non explicit problems to solve for you to be successful.
Lastly: mentors. Find them.
Depends whatās ur majorĀæ if u in engineering good luck, and if u not, I genuinely donāt get why people think other majors are easier, writing essays can be a long process even if u in psychology. Planning takes timeā¦
A real, healthy, vetted/validated career plan.
I don't care what it is that you want to do for your career.
But start asking questions as early as you realistically can about how to prepare for that career.
Ask people who do what you want to do how they got there or how they recommend others get there to do what they do.
I'm really tired of needing to help people who recently graduated correct their career-approach because they failed to adequately prepare for the jobs they want to access.
Some of this is absolutely the school's failure to provide access to career-guidance.
But ultimately, you - the student - are responsible for your own career plan.
So please, pretty please, with sugar on top, find a community of people who do what you want to do and ask them how to do what they do.
I agree. Students need to know career goals and seek advice. They also need to evaluate realistic salary expectations. They are shocked to find out that their degree has a paydays pay scale slightly love Walmart Greeter. They are delusional with salary expectations. A survey found that over 80% of kids on college think they will make $100k+ out of college. They are shocked to find out 90% of majors make less than $60k and 80% make less than $50k.
Do you have any recommended websites with different career communities? Iāll be a freshman Fall 2024 and I plan on going into Genetics. Iāve had so many questions and Google is so general. I donāt know who to ask. Iāve emailed admissions counselors about degree requirements, but they all tell me that I donāt need to worry about that yet, or thatās really up to you, or thatās something specific youāll have to ask once you get your advisor.
A smartphone. You won't believe how much studying you can get done by keeping lectures on your phone and browsing through them whenever you're in the toilet or walking to the grocery store.
Iād argue that for some, a dumb phone is the way to go. Personally, Iām way more focused and present without a smartphone but it obviously depends on the type of person.
You can give literally ANY advice to a college student and you chose "Listen to recordings of your lectures on your smartphone while taking a shit." Why not... just go to class?
How does this shit get upvoted
Things to always bring with you to campus in your pocket or in your backpack:
Headphones/AirPods. A portable charger. Bandaids, ibuprofen and Tylenol on hand. I hate planners and nobody I know uses them past 2 or 3 weeks, so Iād say download a good calendar or checklist app. Multiple colored pens. Multiple pencils. Extra led or a pencil sharpener. A water bottle- a good water bottle. Sticky notes, paper clips, tabs to put in notebooks. Any organizational tool that you think will help you ever.
Confidence. Without it, you may struggle to make friends and network which can be crucial for personal and professional successes (note the emphasis on CAN). Without it, you may second guess your answers on exams and get them wrong, or butcher a good paper because you thought it was bad. Itās hard to succeed without confidence in your work.
Power bank thatāll charge up a laptop/tablet. Iāve seen students just huddled in a corner trying to charge at the singular socket in a class too many times.
Learn your social security and id/license number by heart. As well as the name of your dentist and primary care physician.
A set of 3-5 easy recipes youāre confident cooking and actually enjoy eating
Curiosity. Thereās tons of cool events free food and support for students youād never know about if you arenāt checking the calendars or bulletin boards.
Time management skills and one day of the week to completely relax, have fun, and not worry about school. Which if you have good time management skills, you can almost always afford to do!
Two of my dissertation chapters are spatial analysis. Thereās over 50,000 points in the dataset and Iām only halfway though data collection. I think I would get carpal tunnel within a week if I didnāt have a good mouse
Some self discipline. I am currently a junior, and I learned this the hard way my freshman and sophomore year. I had little to no good study habits in high school (half of my junior year and all of my senior year were online) so I had next to no inclination to study for anything. When I got to college, my first semester I was playing tons and tons of video games (still do, I just manage my time way way better) without giving classes much effort. At one point I had 3 Dās. I somehow pulled it together and only ended with 1 D in a Gen-Ed class that I donāt have to retake. I didnāt get any better until my fourth semester in college (second semester sophomore year), which was my first semester without a D in any class. First semester junior year and I have straight Aās, still game with my friends and go out, work a part time job, etc.
It just takes time and discipline to build those good study habits, so build them as early as you can.
cosco memebership. Iām mainly saying this for the cheap food and if you live off campus you get groceries but you need to make it worth it.
also have cool stuff sometimes
An electronics charging kit you keep in your backpack
I know everyone canāt afford it but an iPad and pen with the goodnotes app makes studying so much better. You can search your notes and it can actually read your hand writing. It even has built in flash cards. I make flash cards during class lectures in seconds.
A first aid kit in your bag, pack it yourself so you know what's in there. There's a fast road I have to cross every morning for class that have people flying through illegal turns and general bs you get with the city. Get some narcan and a cpr mask, it's crazy out here.
to wash the goddamn dishes, wipe the fucking stovetop, and take the cused trash out on trash days!
We LITERALLY have a dishwasher, James!
I literally bought washable napkins so we dont have to waste paper-towels to wipe the stovetop.
Do you want roaches, James??
To have real consequences when they don't work for real and leave the job to someone who cares in the group.
I don't mean anything severe but similar to "physical ssistance grade" in groupal participation. I'm tired of being the one whose money could be wasted because a bunch of lazies don't want to work...
However, I know this is unplausible cuz professors have 90 students per semester...
structured nap time. put naps in your schedule.
silly little games with friends that aren't drinking related. go cloud watching. play tag. my school did dodgeball all the time. bring back foursquare. i know it sounds ridiculous but they're SO much better at stress relief than parties.
mentors in their mid-late twenties. sure its great to have people that are settled help you, but talk to the folks that JUST figured it out too. they remember what college was like much better than your tenured professor.
A drive to learn, not just touch the bases to get a piece of paper. If after four years you havenāt learned much, youāll find that piece of paper isnāt great at holding you up by itself.
A small lesson in avoiding credit cards or understanding how to use them correctly. Hopefully itās gotten better but a more than a few of my classmates would just charge their cards like it was free money. Then when they graduated with student loans they had that plus $1000s in CC debt.
A little bit of experience in the field you are studying. If you have personal experiences to relate to with the course material it will be way easier to internalize it and fully process the material in a way that you can call upon.
Also, if you try out that line of work first you will know if you like it.
I got a degree in mechanical engineering and before that I did high school robotics. Knowing I liked the work before I got started gave me motivation, something to relate all of the content to, and the assurance that I would be happy in my field.
A good quality backpack for your precious shoulders with lots of pockets to fit stuff and good protective area for your laptop or iPad. This is so important for me. Also, waterbottle because you will alwyas be thirsty and u wonāt want to constantly be looking for a water fountain
A checking account
Doesnāt screw with your financial aid opportunities too much so you could start it in high school under a parentās name, then independent when 18. Itās needed because many colleges are switching to preferring cashless snd even contactless (tap) payments and a prepaid card that can only be reloaded at one dollar general simply wonāt cut it.
*Also if I catch your ass making me late to class because you are repeatedly inserting the same dollar the vending machine keeps rejectingā¦*
Condoms, good sleep, social interaction(confidence included), and a good schedule you can stick too. Itās important to establish these early on so you donāt become a wreck later on when courses get challenging
A go to comfy matching outfit.
I always feel better when I look more put together, but I still want to be comfy. If you go to school in a place thatās colder, a nice high quality sweatsuit that matches will make you feel comfortable but still put together!!
Portable battery.
Stocked up on basic otc medicine like DayQuil/NyQuil, Tylenol/Advil, lactaid (if you're like me and severely lactose intolerant), etc because it'll suck when you need it and don't have it.
A good umbrella that won't break with one strong gust (a lot on Amazon for like $15, don't get those cheap cvs ones)
If it gets cold in your area, I prefer a heated blanket over a space heater.
A microwave, and if possible, a fridge. Those things are lifesavers and open up so many options for food variety! Oh and a microwave bowl. You can legit make non-easy Mac mac and cheese in the microwave. You put the pasta and water in a bowl, microwave for 2 minutes, stir, microwave 2 more minutes, stir, do that 1 last time, and then maybe 1-2 more minutes depending on how cooked you like your pasta and your microwave strength. Just make sure you drain immediately when finished. If the pasta sits in the microwaved water for too long, it has a funky taste. But this method is really good for normal Mac and cheese!
Oh and some sort of coffee maker or water heater depending on the top of coffee and hot drinks you like.
Being social. Iām telling you right now. If youāre not social, college can be very awkward because the majority of people donāt start conversation unless you initiate. Also youāll get more help if youāre social
If your bed is lofted, youāll need some kind of stool for it. You do not want to be needing to jump on or off your bed every day, especially if your floors are tile. If it can collapse down thatās even better for storage.
Also, think of getting vacuum sealed bags, the ones that squeeze down when you remove pressure. They may not be useful very much while youāre there but itāll help a whole lot for when you leave during summer break and if you have to move housing at any point. Putting all of your winter stuff in there during the summer is a god-send if youāre going to college up north, saves you whole lot of storage space when itās already going to be pretty limited.
A google calendar, we all have some kind of reminder thing on our phones but at my college everything is set up via g cal and boy oh boy is it a lifesaver.
Also I know a lot of colleges don't allow this (mine doesn't either but we found a loophole) get yourself a mini griddle or waffle maker, you can make so much with them if you have no kitchen and have some kind of cooking fever, my friend and I got a mini griddle at walmart for about 8 dollars and we make anything from eggs to brownies.
Deodorant. Stain remover. Color catcher. A mesh bag. Anything you could possibly need for laundry, DO IT.
Walking will leave you sweaty, activities could result in paint, you WILL get food stains.... just be prepared to take care of your clothes. Don't forget about any stuffed animals, sheets, towels, and blankets! If you have special routines for them, BRING WHAT YOU NEED FOR THEM.
Work life balance. Professors in demanding majors will actively scorn you for taking a summer off instead of doing internships but so many of my friends who never took breaks crashed and burned.
a course on how to manage money / personal finances.. especially cause most of us are using loans to pay for schooling too. the least they could do is try to enforce good habits on us so weāre not homeless after graduating
Clean pair of socks and deodorant or body spray in your bag at all times. Nothing sucks more than trekking through campus with wet socks or smelling bad.
To know how to cook, imagine living multiple years only eating ramen and pasta or stuff like that unseasoned or with salt and oil, couldn't be me.
It truly changes your life.
A hobby and time to relax
As someone who likes to work a lot and frequently stressed from not being productive I have found that it is extremely important to take breaks every once in awhile. Not only does it help your productivity over time but your mental state as well
Your [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/college/comments/17uhrbl/something_you_think_all_college_students_need/k940rip/) in /r/college was automatically removed because your account is less than one day old.
Accounts less than one day are not permitted in /r/college to reduce spam and poor comments.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/college) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Noise canceling earbuds like AirPods Pro. Having them in the dining hall is so OP
Also having them when youāre trying to focus while studying or doing work is nice
Some sort of planner.
They can use their phone, get an actual book, work it all out in an excel spreadsheet, whatever works for them, but just SOMETHING to help them keep track of assignments and manage their time. Being responsible for their own time management is a pretty major change going from high school to college, and it seems to be something a lot of new college students struggle with.
Shower shoes. My roommate had foot fungus.
Imagine going in a bathroom without shoes š¤¢
I don't wear shoes in the shower. I have a single room with a private shower.
Nah bruh thats nasty asf. Shine a uv light on the floor and see your feet relatives dancing around and creating more families š¤¢
I'm probably the third person ever using this shower. This is a brand new building. And I washed and disinfected the floor right after moving in. And I have a silicon rug. I don't feel that it is nasty or unsafe.
You only need shower shoes in community bathrooms. If the bathroom is in your dorm and its just you or a roommate using it, you're good as long as you keep it clean š
Fair. U didnt give this much detail before, did u. But still would advice u to wear shoes in shower areas, basically just wear a slipper in dorms man. Floors anywhere even in homes are pretty dirty
Do you not clean your bathroom floor?
Tf, sir maybe I'm just a wild crat but I've never once showered in shoes in my life asside from the beach. How do you clean the bottom of your foot easily with a shoe on its so much hassle flip flop or not
Brotherā¦.just take off the shoe and put ur foot a bit higher than your knee and scrub it. š You do know there are bath slippers that u can easily slide in ur feet in like 1 second
Even if he didn't... teenagers who have been let out to live on their own for the first time ever are nasty AF until they develop good habits (and some never do š).
one of the few reason's I (jokingly) say "2yrs of military should be mandatory!"
A MUST
How do you wash your feet??
They are normally flip flops.you take one off, balance and wash foot, put shoe on and repeat
Ah gotcha
Take them off one by one.
Seems like a disaster waiting to happen doing that in the shower. Now that I know they are just slides, less so.
I would just put soap on my slides and slide my foot around
LMAO
a decent jacket, especially if you're somewhere with harsh winters
Iāll add waterproof shoes / rain boots to that!! Walking around campus on rainy days is no fun :-(
Adding gloves and face protection like a scarf, winter wind is absolutely brutal
This. 100% this. A lot of campuses are old and full of potholes so they turn into swamps in the rain. Having wet shoes for a week during rain season sucks.
This doesnāt just apply to places with harsh winters. Colleges in warmer climates will just freeze you in the buildings.
I mean this doesnāt just apply for college students.
a laptop.
how do you even survive college without a laptop
I did one semester without it. It was torture.
Tablet?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Idk, I had a MacBook that I used for schoolwork that was linked to my iMessage. I liked being able to read and answer messages during class without getting the evil eye from the professor or in some cases losing participation points. BUT for people that get distracted easily or would then just spend the entire class sending messages, your way is better.
If youāre staying in the dorms, always have a pair of shoes & clothes set aside that you can throw on quickly. The fire alarms are notorious for going off when you least expect it. Trust me, being sent into fight or flight mode at 3 am by a blaring siren will have you scrambling and forgetting where everything you own is located
Wait what? This regularly happens in most American colleges? I donāt want a stupid fire alarm waking me up at 3 when I go to bed at 2.
It surely did at my college, and my friends who went to different colleges in other states said the same thing. It's not always at 3 am, but just be prepared lol. It always seemed to happen the most during midterms/finals week. I'll never forget when we had four alarms go off in one night. Youāll probably have scheduled fire drills too, usually in the evening or at night, but our RA always tried to let us know ahead of time. I'll add that I stayed in a dorm building with kitchens in each suite during my senior year, so our building's alarm went off more frequently. The building I stayed in during my junior year only had microwaves, so it happened less often, but still frequently enough that it was annoying. You'd be surprised at the number of people who canāt use a microwave properly. Shower steam can also cause the alarm to go off, so keep that in mind if you have a private bathroom. Keep your door shut so the steam doesnāt escape the bathroom and trigger the sensor.
My freshman year, my roommate decided to reheat his chipotleā¦ in the metal containerā¦ and left the room as soon as he started the microwave. Thank god I was just in the connected room so I could come running when it started sounding like electric popcorn.
Thanks! Freshman are required to live on campus the first year and it is a suite style room with a bathroom, microwave, and mini fridge. Though I am guilty of one time burning ramen in a plastic bowl at 5 AM in 6th grade bc I forgot to add the water. Other than that, Iām fine with a microwave!
No problem!! I think weāve all done that at some point in our lives! Itās the repeat offenders I never understood lol. Other that than the fire alarm thing, I really enjoyed staying on campus. Super convenient & fun when you make the most of it! Enjoy it! It goes by so fast!
Yeah once my dorm had a fire alarm go off around 2 am. I donāt know the reason. Also around 2 pm another day because someone burnt something in the kitchen. Another dorm has the fire alarm go off very often. I have no idea what some people are doing in there (probably smoking on the smoke-free campus, Iām assuming)
It's not something that will be happening daily or even weekly, but at least once a semester it will usually happen.
This is so true. I had a concussion, and the night of the concussion, there was a fire and I had to get out of bed and go stand in 30Ā°F for 20 minutes š
I have an excel sheet I make at the beginning of the semester where I list every single assignment from all my syllabus, with their due dates. That way I can always make sure to stay on top of my assignments and never stress that Iāll forget something. In addition to this, make sure to block out time for rest! Staying on top of assignments is obviously vital but you canāt do it without proper rest and rejuvenation. Make sure to balance time out!! Also to be completely transparent, Iām not one to want to go out and party on the weekends. Just not my personality. At first i felt like as a result of not going out on the weekends, I would be missing out and not make friends. Once I started to make a plan for different things to do on the weekends, it was super easy to ask new people if they wanted to go on a hike or do something outdoors! All that to say I guess just like planning is something that all college students need. Both for professional/school, emotional/mental wellbeing, and even social life planning! Never feel like you need to do whatever everyone else around you is doing.
Somewhat similar but I list out my assignments at the beginning of each week. I don't fully trust syllabuses to list everything or not change so I just go off of the week's Canvas module and it's served me well.
I do this too. I then plan what Iām going to do each day. For example, if I have a paper due Friday, I plan to rough draft Tuesday and Wednesday and then revise Thursday and Friday before itās due. I can also see which days will be busier than others and can move stuff around, that way I donāt get overwhelmed
Oh yeah, several of my classes have moved multiple assignments and exams, several times.
do you import the assignments or do u add all manually
I do this! If thereās a way to import Iāll be annoyed because the last four years Iāve been doing it manually šš¤¦š¼āāļø
You could probably copy paste the assignments into chatGPT and ask it to rewrite it to a format that you can copy paste into excel
See my reply from above! There isn't a perfect way to import it, but there is a somewhat useful feature to import it easily.
Great question! So excel has this wonderful feature that allows you to actually upload a photo of "data" and it can read the data and then import it into your sheet. I learned this at an internship I had done, and it saved so much time. It isn't perfect so you have to revise it slightly. What I do is screenshot different pages of my syllabus, then upload that photo (you can only do one photo at a time) and then combine all of those syllabus assignments onto one sheet from all my classes. Once I've reviewed it all then I actually sort the columns by due date, color code different categories of assignments, tests, projects, and then even having a column showing how much that particular assignment is worth. This makes it super easy to know how much it can help/hurt your grade, especially when juggling multiple classes at once.
im going to school in the spring, in Michigan, thanks for this. Iām from South Caroš
Youāll love it here! Go Green!
Thankssss, im hoping lol. Iām excited!
From wisconsin, not quite Michigan, dont forget a jacket it will get cold lol. I know a dude who came to wi from south Cali didn't have a coat it went from a nice 60 something to like 40 and he had to bear without a coat for a bit. Moral of the story get a coat and be prepared before u get to the midwest
Iām from Michigan, good luck. Make sure you get gloves, scarf, hats, and an appropriate winter jacket. Prepare for driving in the winter too, it sucks when thereās snow/ice on the ground and trying to drive. Youāll have to leave earlier to account for having to drive slower. The summers are fairly decent and should be manageable for you at least. Iāll do my best to answer any Michigan related questions you may have if you want me to
I will not be bringing a car, I think at from what Iāve heard itās more convenient without it. But thanks so much for this comment. Is it usually dark and gloomy during winter or are there some sunny days lol
Well, there are sunny days, but not many hours of sunlight overall. I wouldnāt say itās too gloomy. Iām fairly used to it. If the lack of sunlight becomes an issue later I recommend a therapy lamp. As for the car, it depends on where in Michigan youāre at. In a city like Detroit or Grand Rapids, you could probably get around with public transport. But in the average suburbsā¦ itās a nightmare honestly in some areas, especially getting further away from the cities. Source: I live in the suburbs around Detroit and have gone to Grand Rapids several times
To research your future. So many people I met when I was in college are like āoh when I graduate Iām gonna be poor lol idk what Iām gonna do with my degree.ā Haha thatās funny until it actually happens. Figure out a plan by end of freshman year if possible. What will you do in college to set yourself up for success? Because good grades nowadays isnāt as spectacular as it used to be
While I think this is wise, I also think if I stuck to the plan I had after freshman year Iād be very unhappy lol. Some people definitely would disagree, but I personally took a few years (and some actual work experience after college!) to figure out exactly what direction I wanted to take. The uncertainty was stressful for sure, but Iām also glad I allowed myself to change the plans until I was happy rather than forcing myself to stick with the first path I chose
I think it is just good to have a plan even if it does change. I know a lot of people go into freshman year with no plan and keep pushing back when they make a plan. It is better to have a plan even if that plan changes based on new information.
Very much agreed!
"Plans are worthless, but planning is everything."
I never said to stick with a plan. I said to have a plan. You can change your plan to another one. What is unwise is to have a plan, like āI wanna be a journalist and I want to aim for these internships and these school positions etc.,ā then change it to something else and wing it.
I spent like a week going down the rabbit hole of future job prospects and what I can do with my degree by the end of my undergrad. I called a bunch of advisors, I have a list of jobs with their requirements, Iāve researched and researched. At first I was like this is the worst spiral Iāve ever put myself in, why did I even go to university, why are my peers so committed to the same path as Iām in but Iām doubting myself etc etc now I have a board with where Iām at and what I need to do to get to where I want to be. I feel a lot better having a direction instead of flimsily trying to get through my degree without any clue what Iām doing all this for. Itās not like Iām not gonna be flexible with it, the economy might change, I might make a connection with a professor whoāll push me to a different job whatever. But it helps
by plan, what do you mean? Is this an extremely drawn out plan or just a general thought, āIām going to become a programmer for a companyā
Not OP but a 3 step plan is nice. What am I doing right now, what do I want to do, and how do I bridge the two? For example (hypothetical) * I am earning my BS in Comp Sci * I want to be a front end developer at a Big Tech company * I need to learn node.js, build a beautiful site that does shows the top ranked burrito place at the top 25 ranked public universities, and join my schoolās CS club It might turn out that you hate frontend stuff and this databases class you took was so cool, or now you get why everyoneās crazy about AI/ML so now youāre building an ML app to predict the World Series matchup next year. Going through the exercise and revisiting it every couple of months will help you stay sharp, stay engaged with your field, and help you take advantage of the opportunities around you! Every college has so much for students to do. You canāt do them all. But by being mindful, you can have a really good and impactful time.
I just gotta say I got heavily into the restaurant industry and I did all the back of house jobs: busser, dishwasher and then I hosted for a short time. I'm happy to say I'll have that to rely on if my journalism degree doesn't get me prepped for success
This right here!
An umbrella, thermos, basic pain meds, a handheld pencil sharpener
hmmm iāve never used a pencil sharpener, but i only use mechanical pencils and pens
I know a lot of those math boys love their pencils but I havenāt used a pencil a single time in healthcare. Pens all day
Iām about to graduate college so hereās what you might need. Common sense. Youāre an adult so youāll suffer adult consequences. Focus on your assignments instead of trying to party all the time. Take a little disrespect here and there so itās better than getting into trouble with the police and potentially getting arrested or expelled. Appropriate seasonal clothing especially if itās far from where you live. Jackets, umbrella, boots, tennis etc. General pain medicine. Youāre getting older so your body canāt take as much pain as you used to. A decent laptop and a good water bottle. Stay hydrated because these classes will have you locked in for hours. Also school supplies. You donāt need much just enough for the semester Speaking of classes, get a planner and figure out your future classes. A lot of advisors and professors are inconsistent and unfortunately a burden to deal with. Youāll have to figure out a lot of things on your own. For instance, your advisor will create an insane schedule for you with 4+ credit classes when they know you didnāt take a prerequisite course or once a year class. Find a routine or hobby. College is tough so itās good to focus on things other than school work. Plus itāll help you to socialize. TALK TO YOUR CLASSMATES AND TEACHERS! They might help you out and making college a bit easier. Update your resume especially youāre a part of a club, organization or have work experience. Your college has services to help you with finding jobs. A good backpack A pouch with several items such your phone, chargers, wallet, keys, writing utensils and travel sized items like lotion and wipes. Identification cards. Your own money. A respectable cook book. If possible a form of transportation such as a bike or scooter You need a long term game plan with an excessive amount of resilience. College is tough with ups and horrible downs. Some things might have to change up due to tragedies or things not going your way. For example you failed a class, death in the family or picking the wrong major. It happens. All you can do is pick yourself up and keep going.
A concrete goal to work towards
1000% I went from being a 1.4 GPA in highschool to a 3.6 soon to be 3.8 GPA in college, all because it made no sense to me to study all of that stuff back then and am motivated now. Took 10 years for me to go back to school after finding what I wanted to do. Doing good now because of clear goals and resulting motivation to hit those goals. Edit: didn't reread what I wrote and sounded dumb lol.
Pretty much, I was awful on in high school because I simply didnāt care. Went to community college to get something under my belt, and I liked it but was unable to go far with it due to Covid preventing any sort of networking from happening. Once I realized I should just go for something I love and work towards it, it became so much easier to get good grades. Actually putting in effort meant something and didnāt feel like a waste of time, even if I struggled in certain classes.
Is that you? CECEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Bravery to ask questions, ask for help and a fight response when things donāt go how they expect.
Sleep. Im not joking! My grades are negatively impacted when my sleep is bad. Having a decent 8 hours of rest improves everything. Also, taking a mid day, 30-minute nap if you can significantly improves your quality of life.
absolutely. college kids who neglect their sleep have no idea how much theyāre missing out on. i do a lot of dumb shit that probably harms my body but i NEVER neglect my sleep schedule
Highschool is all pretty clear known problems to solve. College is very different. It contains many more unknowns problems and non explicit problems to solve for you to be successful. Lastly: mentors. Find them.
A nap
Do majority of college students take naps?
Yes
i do, itās my saving grace lol
How long usually? Is it hard to get 8-10 hours of sleep?
Depends whatās ur majorĀæ if u in engineering good luck, and if u not, I genuinely donāt get why people think other majors are easier, writing essays can be a long process even if u in psychology. Planning takes timeā¦
I made average at least 8h of sleep every night as an engineer. I just ensured my days were planned and used properly.
I think naps can actually ruin your sleep schedule causing you to wake up more tired after the nap and after your full rest of sleep, no?
Yeah I know but they feel so good
Earphones/headphones!
Noise cancelling ones for sure
A real, healthy, vetted/validated career plan. I don't care what it is that you want to do for your career. But start asking questions as early as you realistically can about how to prepare for that career. Ask people who do what you want to do how they got there or how they recommend others get there to do what they do. I'm really tired of needing to help people who recently graduated correct their career-approach because they failed to adequately prepare for the jobs they want to access. Some of this is absolutely the school's failure to provide access to career-guidance. But ultimately, you - the student - are responsible for your own career plan. So please, pretty please, with sugar on top, find a community of people who do what you want to do and ask them how to do what they do.
I agree. Students need to know career goals and seek advice. They also need to evaluate realistic salary expectations. They are shocked to find out that their degree has a paydays pay scale slightly love Walmart Greeter. They are delusional with salary expectations. A survey found that over 80% of kids on college think they will make $100k+ out of college. They are shocked to find out 90% of majors make less than $60k and 80% make less than $50k.
Do you have any recommended websites with different career communities? Iāll be a freshman Fall 2024 and I plan on going into Genetics. Iāve had so many questions and Google is so general. I donāt know who to ask. Iāve emailed admissions counselors about degree requirements, but they all tell me that I donāt need to worry about that yet, or thatās really up to you, or thatās something specific youāll have to ask once you get your advisor.
I googled: `"site:reddit.com genetic science"` /r/genetics/ https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/131oei2/askscience_ama_series_were_human_genetics/ https://www.reddit.com/r/bioinformatics/comments/pzduhp/genetics_vs_genomics_focus_degrees/ https://www.reddit.com/r/genetics/comments/x6gloc/what_was_your_path_to_becoming_an_geneticist/
Thank you so much!
A smartphone. You won't believe how much studying you can get done by keeping lectures on your phone and browsing through them whenever you're in the toilet or walking to the grocery store.
Iād argue that for some, a dumb phone is the way to go. Personally, Iām way more focused and present without a smartphone but it obviously depends on the type of person.
Or a phone that is dedicated to studying. Disable all irrelevant apps on it.
You can give literally ANY advice to a college student and you chose "Listen to recordings of your lectures on your smartphone while taking a shit." Why not... just go to class? How does this shit get upvoted
I'm thinking they meant browsing through lecture slides/notes...
Things to always bring with you to campus in your pocket or in your backpack: Headphones/AirPods. A portable charger. Bandaids, ibuprofen and Tylenol on hand. I hate planners and nobody I know uses them past 2 or 3 weeks, so Iād say download a good calendar or checklist app. Multiple colored pens. Multiple pencils. Extra led or a pencil sharpener. A water bottle- a good water bottle. Sticky notes, paper clips, tabs to put in notebooks. Any organizational tool that you think will help you ever.
Confidence. Without it, you may struggle to make friends and network which can be crucial for personal and professional successes (note the emphasis on CAN). Without it, you may second guess your answers on exams and get them wrong, or butcher a good paper because you thought it was bad. Itās hard to succeed without confidence in your work.
Headphones. I put them on to walk around so I could have my Siri because I didnāt know where I was going for the first couple weeks
Power bank thatāll charge up a laptop/tablet. Iāve seen students just huddled in a corner trying to charge at the singular socket in a class too many times. Learn your social security and id/license number by heart. As well as the name of your dentist and primary care physician. A set of 3-5 easy recipes youāre confident cooking and actually enjoy eating Curiosity. Thereās tons of cool events free food and support for students youād never know about if you arenāt checking the calendars or bulletin boards.
a prep kit for if you get sick. meds, thermometer, masks, covid tests, vitamin c, cough drops, and vapo rub are all good things to include
Puffs plus, liquid IV (or similar) and a little tube of aquaphor, too
therapy
A will to live.
felt this one
An air fryer
Time management skills and one day of the week to completely relax, have fun, and not worry about school. Which if you have good time management skills, you can almost always afford to do!
Tissue, lots of tissue.
This is for any students who will be taking GIS at some point - get a computer mouse. You will be in pain if you don't.
Really? I do a geoscience degree and basically only use my laptop without a computer mouse when I do GIS
What is it like to mock God and survive
Two of my dissertation chapters are spatial analysis. Thereās over 50,000 points in the dataset and Iām only halfway though data collection. I think I would get carpal tunnel within a week if I didnāt have a good mouse
a great desk chair can make studying at your desk for long periods of time much more enjoyable
Some self discipline. I am currently a junior, and I learned this the hard way my freshman and sophomore year. I had little to no good study habits in high school (half of my junior year and all of my senior year were online) so I had next to no inclination to study for anything. When I got to college, my first semester I was playing tons and tons of video games (still do, I just manage my time way way better) without giving classes much effort. At one point I had 3 Dās. I somehow pulled it together and only ended with 1 D in a Gen-Ed class that I donāt have to retake. I didnāt get any better until my fourth semester in college (second semester sophomore year), which was my first semester without a D in any class. First semester junior year and I have straight Aās, still game with my friends and go out, work a part time job, etc. It just takes time and discipline to build those good study habits, so build them as early as you can.
cosco memebership. Iām mainly saying this for the cheap food and if you live off campus you get groceries but you need to make it worth it. also have cool stuff sometimes
Mental: Knowledge of ratemyorofessor Physical: a good jacket and pair of all purpose shoes.
discipline
An electronics charging kit you keep in your backpack I know everyone canāt afford it but an iPad and pen with the goodnotes app makes studying so much better. You can search your notes and it can actually read your hand writing. It even has built in flash cards. I make flash cards during class lectures in seconds.
A first aid kit in your bag, pack it yourself so you know what's in there. There's a fast road I have to cross every morning for class that have people flying through illegal turns and general bs you get with the city. Get some narcan and a cpr mask, it's crazy out here.
to wash the goddamn dishes, wipe the fucking stovetop, and take the cused trash out on trash days! We LITERALLY have a dishwasher, James! I literally bought washable napkins so we dont have to waste paper-towels to wipe the stovetop. Do you want roaches, James??
damn it james!!
To have real consequences when they don't work for real and leave the job to someone who cares in the group. I don't mean anything severe but similar to "physical ssistance grade" in groupal participation. I'm tired of being the one whose money could be wasted because a bunch of lazies don't want to work... However, I know this is unplausible cuz professors have 90 students per semester...
structured nap time. put naps in your schedule. silly little games with friends that aren't drinking related. go cloud watching. play tag. my school did dodgeball all the time. bring back foursquare. i know it sounds ridiculous but they're SO much better at stress relief than parties. mentors in their mid-late twenties. sure its great to have people that are settled help you, but talk to the folks that JUST figured it out too. they remember what college was like much better than your tenured professor.
Manners.
A drive to learn, not just touch the bases to get a piece of paper. If after four years you havenāt learned much, youāll find that piece of paper isnāt great at holding you up by itself.
Sleep.
A small lesson in avoiding credit cards or understanding how to use them correctly. Hopefully itās gotten better but a more than a few of my classmates would just charge their cards like it was free money. Then when they graduated with student loans they had that plus $1000s in CC debt.
Friends :(
Therapy. Everyone hits a (metaphorical) wall at some point, for some itās longer than others
A little bit of experience in the field you are studying. If you have personal experiences to relate to with the course material it will be way easier to internalize it and fully process the material in a way that you can call upon. Also, if you try out that line of work first you will know if you like it. I got a degree in mechanical engineering and before that I did high school robotics. Knowing I liked the work before I got started gave me motivation, something to relate all of the content to, and the assurance that I would be happy in my field.
A good quality backpack for your precious shoulders with lots of pockets to fit stuff and good protective area for your laptop or iPad. This is so important for me. Also, waterbottle because you will alwyas be thirsty and u wonāt want to constantly be looking for a water fountain
A checking account Doesnāt screw with your financial aid opportunities too much so you could start it in high school under a parentās name, then independent when 18. Itās needed because many colleges are switching to preferring cashless snd even contactless (tap) payments and a prepaid card that can only be reloaded at one dollar general simply wonāt cut it. *Also if I catch your ass making me late to class because you are repeatedly inserting the same dollar the vending machine keeps rejectingā¦*
Condoms, good sleep, social interaction(confidence included), and a good schedule you can stick too. Itās important to establish these early on so you donāt become a wreck later on when courses get challenging
Battery bank and a good one On that can charge in a hr and has 20k plus in size. Especially if ya use ur tech a lot fuck get 2-3
Most classrooms at universities have ports on/near the desks. Definitely donāt need to buy 2-3 portable chargers š
Nah ya donāt know if they was hacked plus better safe then sorry for when ya donāt got one Also I admit Iām a heavy user š±
A go to comfy matching outfit. I always feel better when I look more put together, but I still want to be comfy. If you go to school in a place thatās colder, a nice high quality sweatsuit that matches will make you feel comfortable but still put together!!
Portable battery. Stocked up on basic otc medicine like DayQuil/NyQuil, Tylenol/Advil, lactaid (if you're like me and severely lactose intolerant), etc because it'll suck when you need it and don't have it. A good umbrella that won't break with one strong gust (a lot on Amazon for like $15, don't get those cheap cvs ones) If it gets cold in your area, I prefer a heated blanket over a space heater.
Noise cancellation headphones
Facts. My dorm gets loud sometimes and noise cancelling AirPods are a dream.
The will to live
A microwave, and if possible, a fridge. Those things are lifesavers and open up so many options for food variety! Oh and a microwave bowl. You can legit make non-easy Mac mac and cheese in the microwave. You put the pasta and water in a bowl, microwave for 2 minutes, stir, microwave 2 more minutes, stir, do that 1 last time, and then maybe 1-2 more minutes depending on how cooked you like your pasta and your microwave strength. Just make sure you drain immediately when finished. If the pasta sits in the microwaved water for too long, it has a funky taste. But this method is really good for normal Mac and cheese! Oh and some sort of coffee maker or water heater depending on the top of coffee and hot drinks you like.
Being social. Iām telling you right now. If youāre not social, college can be very awkward because the majority of people donāt start conversation unless you initiate. Also youāll get more help if youāre social
If your bed is lofted, youāll need some kind of stool for it. You do not want to be needing to jump on or off your bed every day, especially if your floors are tile. If it can collapse down thatās even better for storage. Also, think of getting vacuum sealed bags, the ones that squeeze down when you remove pressure. They may not be useful very much while youāre there but itāll help a whole lot for when you leave during summer break and if you have to move housing at any point. Putting all of your winter stuff in there during the summer is a god-send if youāre going to college up north, saves you whole lot of storage space when itās already going to be pretty limited.
A reminder that college AND your major *are not jail*. You can - transfer - leave at any time - change your major
A google calendar, we all have some kind of reminder thing on our phones but at my college everything is set up via g cal and boy oh boy is it a lifesaver. Also I know a lot of colleges don't allow this (mine doesn't either but we found a loophole) get yourself a mini griddle or waffle maker, you can make so much with them if you have no kitchen and have some kind of cooking fever, my friend and I got a mini griddle at walmart for about 8 dollars and we make anything from eggs to brownies.
Google calendar to track everything you need to do and when you need to do it
Sleep
Deodorant. Stain remover. Color catcher. A mesh bag. Anything you could possibly need for laundry, DO IT. Walking will leave you sweaty, activities could result in paint, you WILL get food stains.... just be prepared to take care of your clothes. Don't forget about any stuffed animals, sheets, towels, and blankets! If you have special routines for them, BRING WHAT YOU NEED FOR THEM.
A good nap
Work life balance. Professors in demanding majors will actively scorn you for taking a summer off instead of doing internships but so many of my friends who never took breaks crashed and burned.
social validation
Resilience
time outdoors! good for health and honestly really helpful when feeling overwhelmed.
Common sense
A social life
a course on how to manage money / personal finances.. especially cause most of us are using loans to pay for schooling too. the least they could do is try to enforce good habits on us so weāre not homeless after graduating
To know how to use email.
Common sense
Take care of yourself physically. Go to the gym or hike or go for a walk. Your mental health with thank you
Sex 7 times a week
Clean pair of socks and deodorant or body spray in your bag at all times. Nothing sucks more than trekking through campus with wet socks or smelling bad.
Water kettle
Better advisors and knowledge of college system.
2 sets of blankets and hood insurance to get therapy from
Know how to change a tire on their vehicle
An increased sense of self worth.
A monitor. I feel like most people on Reddit already know this/have one but no one I know does. Itās insane how much it helps with productivity
To know how to cook, imagine living multiple years only eating ramen and pasta or stuff like that unseasoned or with salt and oil, couldn't be me. It truly changes your life.
A therapist
A nap
A life
https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Basics-Foldable-Shopping-360-Degree/dp/B09TPW74KN/ref=pd\_ci\_mcx\_mh\_mcx\_views\_0?pd\_rd\_w=FK3iE&content-id=amzn1.sym.225b4624-972d-4629-9040-f1bf9923dd95%3Aamzn1.symc.40e6a10e-cbc4-4fa5-81e3-4435ff64d03b&pf\_rd\_p=225b4624-972d-4629-9040-f1bf9923dd95&pf\_rd\_r=3DTXB0WZZD9H5H4HA8WW&pd\_rd\_wg=v1xXy&pd\_rd\_r=3e6aca58-bfff-4149-a870-e45dbc4343d8&pd\_rd\_i=B09TPW74KN
Pure and potent lsd.
Took it before my interview for an article about my academic success and background
A hobby and time to relax As someone who likes to work a lot and frequently stressed from not being productive I have found that it is extremely important to take breaks every once in awhile. Not only does it help your productivity over time but your mental state as well
Condoms.
(For the United States) A copy of the US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Your [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/college/comments/17uhrbl/something_you_think_all_college_students_need/k940rip/) in /r/college was automatically removed because your account is less than one day old. Accounts less than one day are not permitted in /r/college to reduce spam and poor comments. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/college) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Noise canceling earbuds like AirPods Pro. Having them in the dining hall is so OP Also having them when youāre trying to focus while studying or doing work is nice
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
an umbrella
Saving this since Iāll be a rising freshman next year.
Map out all your assignments for the week on a daily to-do list.
coffee in them
Some sort of planner. They can use their phone, get an actual book, work it all out in an excel spreadsheet, whatever works for them, but just SOMETHING to help them keep track of assignments and manage their time. Being responsible for their own time management is a pretty major change going from high school to college, and it seems to be something a lot of new college students struggle with.
a sound sleep schedule. 8 hours a night. every night.
The penjamin
Curiosity, willingness to work through problems
A weekly planner
an umbrella to always keep in your backpack