Now that I am in my final year of college, I have a few tips to share that could help you avoid the mistakes I or some of my friends made. Hope this helps!
1. Talk to people
On my first day in college, I introduced myself to a complete stranger who sat next to me during orientation. It turned out, we had a lot of common interests. Till date she has remained my best friend! But, you probably will take a few weeks to find friends. So, don't take too long to say hi to someone. Talk to people. Only then will you be able to see if someone could be your friend. College is no fun without friends.
2. Have more than one set of friends.
It is nice to hang around with a friend(s) you are comfortable with. But don't limit yourself to just your circle of friends. It can get very boring. Also, it is nice to spend time with different kinds of people. College is the best time to discover yourself. You can understand what you like and don't if you spend time with different kinds of people. It is always helpful to be comfortable with a large set of people. You never know when you'll be forced to do a project with someone from outside your group.
3. Do your own projects!
Through college, you will have to do multiple projects each semester. Borrowing or buying a project could seem like an easy alternative especially when you have a ton of submissions with very little time. DO NOT do it. The amount of joy you get when you get something to work is immeasurable. You will struggle and curse when your code is not working (which is at least 70% of the time) but the 30% when it works, more than makes up for all the effort. Also, since most projects are team projects, it is a great way to bond with friends and learn to co-operate. These skills are essential when you start working. So, why not build on them when you can. Moreover, the amount you learn when you do a project, is no where close to what you do by reading a text book.
4. Travel.
If you are anything like me and enjoy sitting in front of the TV on a holiday rather than getting out and doing stuff, please take note of this point. This is a piece of advice, I hope someone had given me earlier. Traveling with friends is a completely different experience than traveling with parents. When you are with your friends, you learn to be responsible, take care of your things, manage your money, take decisions, etc. But at the same time, you have your friends who will help you if you need them to. It will help you gain confidence. Also, you gain experience by seeing how your friends react in different situations.
5. Set your rules and stick to them.
In continuation with the previous point, it is essential to identify your boundaries and stick to them irrespective of whether your friends approve of it or not. College is the ideal stage to find out what you think is right and what is wrong. You must learn to set your rules and stick to them. It could be simple things like not making fun of others behind their back, not smoking etc. Stick to your rules and beliefs and others will eventually respect you. You can always change your rules; but think before you do.
6. Talk to your teachers
Teachers can be helpful for a lot of reasons. Building a good rapport with teachers can help you identify which teacher you are comfortable with. You will need to select teachers as project guides, ask them to provide references when you apply for internships, higher studies etc. So knowing them (and letting them know you) can be very helpful.
7. Confide in an older person
Sometimes, you may be faced with situations where you don't know how to react. This applies especially if you live in a hostel. Being surrounded by the same set of people can get overwhelming sometimes. Keep in touch with an older person. It could be a friend, sibling or your parent. Sometimes, a new perspective is all it takes to get you out of a foul mood.
8. Don't over stress about exams
I don't think I need to mention this point as a tip. Doing badly in exams are such a recurring feature in college, that you automatically learn to take it in your stride. Try to keep up with the class average, maintain a decent GPA, but don't over stress about being the topper in every subject. I may be wrong about this, but from my experience, at the end of the course, people with exceptional GPAs didn't have much of an edge over people with above average GPAs.
9. Volunteer, participate
This should probably have been the first point. There are plenty of festivals, events that keep happening in colleges. Participate! Chances of winning are very few unless you are really good at something but don't let that stop you from participating. Also, become a volunteer in such events. It is a great way to make friends. Also, you learn a lot of stuff while doing so. A lot of people tend to stay at home or "chill out" with friends somewhere else. Don't do that! Be where all the action is happening. If nothing you'll have a bunch of cool pictures (and memories) that you will cherish later.
10. Explore careers
This is the ideal time to decide what you'd like to do after college. Talk to seniors, read about things that interest you and try your hand at different things. You will be better prepared to choose your career at the end of four years.
Most importantly, enjoy! :)
