Thread by @merlemassie

Am thinking about what advice would be useful to first year university students. I'm compiling a list that I've given my son.
1. Read your emails, all the way through. No skimming, no shortcuts. Universities communicate via email.

2. Read your class syllabus. High schools don't use these, so kids don't understand what they are, why they are important, and how they help.
Read. The. Syllabus.

3. Stock up on Kleenex, cold tablets, Tylenol and buy a thermometer. You're going to need them, and when you do, you will feel too gross to get them.

4. Go to class. It's the easiest path to a passing grade. Easier then skipping/cramming. Also: when you do get sick, need help, ask for an extension, your prof will recognize you. That matters.

5. Find the library. Seriously. The library is the shortcut to knowledge. Tried reading that novel and are stuck on chapter five, with no clue why it was assigned? Go read 3 reviews, a Cole's Notes and maybe a journal article on its themes. Good enough.

6. Find a librarian. This is so important, it should be higher on the list, but here's a deep, dark deadly secret: librarians know all the shortcuts, efficiencies, best paths, and secret knowledge. Make friends. Hang out. Ask for help.

7. Ask for help. There is a weird thing kids develop in high school, a perception that only 'dumb' kids ask for help, wrong impression that asking for help means you don't deserve your mark/grade/pass.
We flip that in university. The good students ask for help, early and often.

8. Technicalities matter. There are a lot of rules in academia. Things like plagiarism, citations, following technical instructions. Get the rule book for each class and follow it.
Hint: the rule book will be mentioned in the syllabus.

9. Do the readings.
Do the readings.
Do the readings.

Seriously, read the stuff. Just quit procrastinating and read.

10. Treat school like a job. Work job hours, and you will be able to put most of your work (class plus labs plus homework) into that time, more or less depending on the day.

11. Call home. Your cat misses you.

12. Fail. Yeah, sounds counterintuitive, but failure is part of the package. You'll learn the difference between 'this is not for me, I'm done' and 'crap, I need this class to graduate, I have to pass It' and 'damn, I failed but I liked the content, I'll give it another go'.

13. Play, walk, do physical activity, make new friends, join a club, stretch your mind and soul and spirit. A writer once said you cram many years worth of living into one year of university; so much living. Go live it.

14. And on that note: sleep, the final frontier. You will do better if you sleep, cosy and long, every night. Make your bed a haven for sleep, and keep good sleep hygiene. Even if you're cramming or thinking of pulling an all-nighter, reconsider. Sleep first.
And so, goodnight.