Stay at the same college. If you absolutely have to change colleges, try to stay in the same state.
I've been to three colleges in three states. I wish circumstances had let me just stay at the first one. Also, don't take a break from college for a few years. Again, I wish circumstances had let me just keep going to college. I spent a couple years working and trying to get back into school, in a different state, and the application process can take forever (and you really need to have all your i's dotted and t's crossed on your app).
Get enough sleep.
Away from home, keeping your own schedule, you may be tempted to do things like stay up all night a lot. Or even just until 3 or 4 am. And then getting up in the morning to go to class is much, much harder, and so maybe you don't. This is bad. And even if you make it to class on zero or little sleep, you will be a zombie and not learn. This, too, is bad.
Take care to maintain good personal hygiene and housekeeping habits.
Others have said this, too.
I did not take this excellent advice. I suck at it. Not so much the hygiene part as the housekeeping part. I am a slob. Do not be me.
Lock your dorm/room/apartment/whatever door when you leave (and at night), make sure your roommate does too.
Dorms, and student-dominated apartments, are terrible for theft. People will steal anything not nailed down if they get a chance.
Whether you eat healthy or not, try to eat some good-for-you stuff, too. Also, consider vitamin supplements.
Again, I didn't practice what I preach. I'm an awful cook. It has probably made me drag ass a lot more than I should, not getting all the nutrients I need, which I'm pretty sure that beer and pizza don't provide. Seriously, you don't want to get scurvy or something...
People you know can teach you things. And I don't mean professors.
Assuming you still have both your parents, or even one parent, or just somebody older than you who cares, take the time to learn from them. I wish to hell I'd asked my parents about a couple thousand things when I had the chance. "Hey Dad, teach my about that tool-stuff you make look so freaking easy." With that sentence, I could have been a much more capable individual than I am. "Hey Dad, teach me how to do taxes and stuff." With that sentence, I might not have such a seething hatred of the IRS. College is more than classes, it's learning to be an adult, and they don't have classes about some of the most important stuff.
Yeah, it's cool to be a self-made man. I brag about it all the time (not really, no one cares), while inside I wish I had been smart enough to avoid it.
If you really don't have anyone to turn to for advice, then (dare I say it?) invoke the magic words to summon the mightiest and most schizophrenic repository of information (and lies, and porn) in history: Consult Teh Internets! There are places to learn about taxes and tools and bill paying, and places to ask for more specific advice. Do so.
Knowledge may or may not be Power, but it can definitely save you some trouble, and maybe save your ass.
There is no such thing as "The Typical College Experience" in real life. Or at least, not everyone gets it.
It's different for everyone. Some people have the time of their lives. They make friends, go to parties, and generally have a kickass time. Some even manage to get decent grades while doing so. Not everyone, however, has such a carefree and awesome time at college. Maybe you don't make tons of friends, maybe you don't go to parties, maybe you don't have that much fun.
It's okay. Don't get depressed if it isn't everything Animal House and Van Wilder and [insert movie about college life here] said it would be. You're ultimately there to get an education. Or, should you harbor cynical-type doubts about the quality of the education, you're there to obtain a piece of paper proclaiming you as officially Edumicated, and thus, Employable. It's still good to try and make friends and have fun, but getting through college and into the Outer World successfully is the important part.
Don't stress out! Seriously, man, calm down. CALM DOWN!
That's better. Don't get freaked out by college, either by how hard it may be, or getting a bad grade in a class, or living on your own, or any lack of social success, or any social setbacks you may encounter, or whatever. It's cool. Just stay calm, and remember that it's just college, and life goes on. You may (will) make some mistakes. That's cool too, it's part of the experience. The part that everyone does get. Try to learn from that stuff, and don't let the bastards get you down.
Sorry I rambled so long.
That is all.
