I graduated from a small, Catholic high school in Braintree, Massachusetts on May 25, 2017 and it was all freedom from there–or so I thought. 
            With my new backpack, binders, and T-pass I was on my way to a brand new experience with only a faint idea of what to expect. Of course every high school kid has heard all the stories of crazy ragers and piles of homework but that isn’t really how it turned out. There are a few things I wish people would’ve told me.
            There is so much time to do things that you have no time at all. Isn’t that ironic? Yes and no. Because you’re not going to six classes one after another, you get a sense of freedom and the idea that, “Woah I have so much time, I can put this off.”That’s a dangerous trap that many new students fall into and I cannot stress how important it is to learn good time management. 
            The minute you decide to go to college, your profession is “student,”but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to have fun. It’s easy to feel lonely in a huge new place but you don’t need to be. Go out there, get involved, join clubs, talk to people, sit down at a crowded table. You can’t make friends if you don’t talk to anyone. Since UMass Boston is still mainly a commuter school, it’s so easy to just go home after your last class, but, instead,wait around, study in the library, or go explore the campus. Who knows who or what you’ll find! You’ll also find people tabling in the Campus Center constantly, definitely use this resource. 
            One of the biggest things I will stress is *go to class*. It doesn’t matter if you did the homework or not, show up. Even if it’s not mandatory attendance, go. You being there is what the professor wants and most of the time, a lot of the notes aren’t even in the PowerPoints uploaded online–they’re from the class lecture. Attending will also help you make more friends in your classes. Utilize your peers and organize study groups.
            Along with showing up, do the homework and actually read the assigned reading because Sparknotes will only get you so far. Doing your homework will stress you out way less and you’ll be prepared for class discussions. If you don’t understand something, don’t be afraid or nervous about going to office hours or asking in-class questions. Overall, it’s almost impossible to fail if you attend class and participate. 
            Watch your mental health. College will bring a brand new set of stressors you won’t have dealt with before. So, use your resources! No one wants to see a student fall behind; people want to help you and it’s really easy to find that help at UMass Boston. They have free writing workshops, counselors, and tutors for every subject. The amount of places to go and study is incredible. 
            Stop the drama and act like an adult. Allow yourself new ideas and actually listen to your classmates and professors. You don’t need to agree with everyone but you have to be civil and willing to learn from others. Not everything is going to go your way and there is always going to be someone smarter. It doesn’t matter if you were your high school’s whizz kid all four years–there will *always* be someone to one-up you. Ask questions and question everything. University students are the ones changing the world, figure out why.