deinterlacing:

So you’re a brand new college student and you’re crazy excited and stuff, or maybe you’re a returning veteran who wants another shot at college. This post comes from a good ol’ senpai who intends to give you college advice without all the sugar crap sprinkled on top.

It’s alternatively titled ‘stuff I wish 16-year old me knew but didn’t, so 20-year old me wants to share it with you people so you hopefully don’t make the same mistakes I did.‘ 

On Learning and Academics

• Your education is literally in your hands. Your teachers get paid for the amount of research/output they do, not for how well they teach. Don’t expect to be spoon-fed with shit you need to know.
• Force the skills to come. You’ll have to suck it up, sit your ass down, and do some deliberate practice. The idea of college is that you pay lots of money for the curriculum you take–and the goal of which is to train you into acquiring the basic skillset of whatever major it is you’re taking. It will be hard, but it’s doable.
• Learn the skill of studying efficiently. Don’t fall for the pseudo-studying trap. Focus on active learning rather than passive recall. Studyblrs don’t say this enough, but aesthetic notes are pointless if they don’t help you learn. (Of course, they’re completely fine when they actually do help you learn.) Do everything you can for quality learning in the shortest amount of time possible. There’s more to life than college–like relationships and hobbies and health–and you gotta make time for those, too.
• Organize your time, your projects, and your stuff. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate system. Keep it simple so that it isn’t susceptible to falling apart when things get wild in the middle of the semester. (And trust me–it does get wild.)
• Be open-minded. Some people will affirm your beliefs and other people will challenge them. Personal views are habitual and they can seem very compelling–remember that there’re lots of different perspectives we can all learn from. 
• Practice healthy doses of skepticism. The internet is a wonderful resource for learning, but do not trust everything you see from it. This also goes for real-life shit. 
  

On Socializing and Relationships

• Go easy on everyone. But hold yourself and the company you keep to a higher standard. Surround yourself with people who will not drag you down, but will be frank enough to tell you you’re being an asshole.
• Do not expect people to intuit your feelings. Say things upfront instead of going into that anxiety-inducing state of passive-aggressiveness.

On Physical and Mental Health

• Your physical health and mental health are equally important. Do not discount either of them, especially during times when you’re struggling with your academic load.
• Don’t compare yourself with other people. It will save you so much grief. And on this note, other people’s successes aren’t your failure!
• Don’t beat yourself over not being a super efficient learning machine. We all work in funny ways. Excessively punishing yourself with poisonous negative talk is counterproductive.
• Be aware of your addictions, especially if they eat up a lot of time. Pay special attention to the subtle ones that are usually glorified or brushed aside, like internet addiction.
  
• Get enough sleep. Do not let anyone intimidate you into thinking that you aren’t studying enough if you don’t pull an all-nighter before an exam. Never ever.
• Keep your habitat relatively unfucked. This blog is an incredible resource to get you started.
• Apply the ‘growth mindset.’ Do not be afraid of ‘not being good at it immediately.’ They’re very good opportunities to learn how to grow and adapt. Setbacks are temporary.

These are the most basic tips I could think of. Good luck to you, friend!

(And for the older people: if you’ve got more advice, feel free to add your own!)