@NJdad07090 Just 1 - Barrett (ASU). That was the one school I had to put a deposit down to reserve a spot in Barrett and I wasn’t going to pass that up.
@NJdad07090 But for the others, I was able to get an extension to their deadlines.
General advice:
get the book The Naked Roommate by Harlan Cohen. Frank discussion of every possible situation that either occurs often or might happen to a college freshman. Very “real”, not sugar coated, not moralizing, just the situation as encountered by a real student and how to handle it.
Got this for my son before college. Not sure if he read it but as stated it’s really good advice on just about every situation out there. Well done.
@MYOS1634 @Knowsstuff yeah I’ll have to give it a look! Also, would either of you be able to provide anything about what are some of the things the book mentions or talks about, as it relates to a freshman?
There’s about 100 tips, all of them 100% legit, on a wide range of topics. Of course issues such as sex/drugs/alcohol/parties, professors/office hours/flunking a test… but also “I’m feeling out of place”, “how college is different from HS”, “what to do if someone gives you wrong directions”, “I slept through my alarm”, “my parents are calling/texting all the time”, and of course the infamous “my roommate walks around naked and sits on my bed”. 
One of the main lessons in the book is to speak up early and often if your roommate does something that irritates/offends you, Or keeps you up too late with parties in your room when you need to sleep or study.
If you do not speak up the first time it happens, roommate will assume you are okay with his/her behavior. And then you get angrier with each repeat of offending behavior, and yet it gets harder to bring up the subject.
Best way to handle is honesty, but honesty that is gentle and kind. With a touch of “how can we work this out?”
Your way is not the only way, and learning to understand the other persons perspective can help you as you grow into adulthood. And again, the struggles will prepare you for life after college. Because you will not be able to choose your coworkers, and they can have quirks that drive you crazy.
@MYOS1634 @Knowsstuff Seems like a lot of good useful stuff in there, and even how it relates to life in general.
Also, would either of you or even @sbdad12, be able to describe some of the do’s and don’ts of college, especially your freshman year? Like for example, I was reading a post on 5th year’s Instagram and it was in regards to “since this years senior’s won’t really have an in person orientation, ‘What are some things that freshman should know going into it’ and only ‘bad’ (or opposite) answers are allowed”? and one of the things mentioned was you should carry your lanyard everywhere and that you should do an 8 am or earlier lecture (btw I never really understood what was bad about the lanyard thing either). So like those kinds of things I suppose…
The lanyard thing: because it identifies you as a freshman. BUT you ARE a freshman. Nothing to be ashamed of. Own it. And better off with the lanyard than locked out.
College does something weird: for your whole life (almost), you had class at 8. But suddenly, and just for 4 years in your ENTIRE LIFE, you can have class at 10. So… do. Enjoy. It’ll never happen again until you’re 70, if at all (and then, your prostate may well wake you at 6 anyway…)
Avoid “early” classes, unless you effortlessly wake at 5am and for for a long run and are all fresh and energetic for breakfast at 7 am. And even if that’s you now… well, in college, there may be study groups or review groups in the 7 to 10pm slot, in the library or your dorm. THEN you do your other homework. So, you’ll likely have a different schedule.
If I had ONE piece of advice to give you, it’d be to keep partying to the weekend. Friday and Saturday night, do whatever rocks your boat - go dancing, watch a film, attend a big party. But if you get drunk, keep it to Friday-Saturday. Sunday through Thursday, regardless of what your fellow freshmen do, DON’T. Stick to academics/clubs. See this as your job.
A whole bunch of them will be gone by January and others will have dug themselves into huge holes.
(Also, correlated to the previous: throwing up together doesn’t magically turn other freshmen into friends. Make friends through classes, clubs, volunteering, sports, random adventures, crazy hijinks, but don’t confuse drunken stupor alongside some random dude with friendship…)
If I can give you more advice… it’d be to go to office hours, right off the bat. Many students wait till after their midterm. As the name indicates, you’ll be well past the middle of the semester at that point so it’s of limited use.
The way to do it:
1° first day - you get your syllabus. HW is typically light that one time because there’s an expectation you’ll enter papers due dates and exams into your calendar, then reverse flow chart the whole thing so that you have time to research&write the paper and prepare the exams ahead of time. Read your syllabus carefully. Your professor assumes you can read therefore there’ll rarely be reminders of what hw should be done for the following week, even in some cases you’re supposed to know when a paper is due, etc. If you miss the deadline or don’t do your hw, it’s on you. You can read, you had a syllabus, you didn’t do what you were supposed to - not the professor’s problem.
(If your university requires you to book tutoring appointments, book tutors ahead of time: there’ll be very little competition at that point. Book the tutor for 48-72hours before your paper’s due date/test. It’s always easier to cancel than to book right before the exam). Mark office hours into your calendar.
2° during the first lecture, write down* in the margin of your notebook anything that elicits a question: either because it’s not clear or because you’d like to know more.
During your first hw, do the same (using the reading or the problem sets). Then, go to each professor’s first office hour. It’s key: there’ll be no one else, I can promise you. Therefore, the professor will have time for you. You introduce yourself, indicate which class you’re in, ask your questions. The professor will remember you.
Make office hours into a habit - return at least twice before the midterm! Getting to know your professor will never hurt. And the professor will be happy to meet a freshman who cares and knows what they’re supposed to do. 
- handwriting helps you remember and process. When you type, your brain cuts words into letters. To handwrite, your brain has to memorize it and break it down through your arm/hand muscle ad thus "records" it for you. So, you may type much faster, but handwriting helps people memorize. Now, if you're much better at typing (I can relate), you can also type and then read over what you typed, highlighting key points then.
All of what @MYOS1634 et AL said. The book is actually a fun read even though not sure my son actually read it. Looks pretty good condition to me. It gets into sex, drugs and rock and roll also.
Get involved. With clubs, games, activities. Do it all. My son didn’t like the 1600 clubs Michigan had to offer so he started one with another student by answering something on Facebook. It’s one of the busiest clubs now. Make your own way and take chances and go outside your comfort zone. I call it “betting” on yourself. You will always win! Get to know your professors. Even just a few you click with. They can help open opportunities for you.
BTW - I agree with the writing but I do speech recognition. Haven’t touched a pen in like 30 years… Lol.
Have fun. This is like your one and only chance at college. Do it right. Don’t waste the privilege you have even going to college.
So one of the best books on time management, which you will need is this https://www.calnewport.com/books/straight-a-student/
Forget the title. It’s actually a very good, fun, quick read. Read it this summer and apply some techniques. Just do it and you’ll thank me later.
During the first three weeks, Everyone will be more open to meeting new people, so take advantage of this window of opportunity.
It is natural to feel uncomfortable as you put yourself out there with strangers. But remember that probably 90 percent of the freshmen are arriving without having any established friendships, So you are all in the same awkward boat.
Most every freshman will experience some loneliness. Just remember that some random Mom on CC told you that you are not alone when you feel awkward. Almost every Freshman and Transfer student is starting over. You haven’t had to make friends in a long time, and you might be out of practice. But do it anyway.
Once you get past that first three weeks, students have formed routines and it is slightly more uncomfortable to break into a group. So don’t procrastinate.
And also know that the first set of people you hang out with may not end up being your best buddies. It can take time to find people you really click with. Roommates may not turn out to be your friends you hang out with, but getting along with roommates is important.
But at first, hang out with many different people, and give yourself the confidence to speak with the students sitting next to you in every class. If you wear a tshirt that attracts comments (a silly pun, or a sports team logo) others have a more natural conversation starter. Or notice others wearing something you can comment on.
You have four years to drink at college. Don’t overdo it at your first few Parties. Instead, use this chance to meet people and figure out who you can trust to be a good drinking buddy.
You are Now in charge of your success/failure. There are helpers on campus for whatever you will struggle with. But you have to ask for help. If you don’t know who to contact, start with an Honors Advisor. They will know who can help you.
No One will be watching over you daily. No one will remind you assignments are Due Friday, and no one will care if you lost internet service. So always give yourself extra lead time for submitting assignments online or in person.
Use some kind of paper or electronic calendar system, and refer to it often. Schedule time to sleep, eat, exercise, study and have fun. Sleep is huge, and lack of sleep will impact you.
Especially with the looming virus, you want to eat healthy, take vitamins (especially Vit C and D) get exercise and sleep. It will boost your immune system, and that will make any virus you get less serious.
Are you religious? Most colleges have a variety of organizations, and they will all have fun mixers during Welcome Week. Just another chance to make connections.
I have given you way too much advice to digest. You can always refer back to this thread later this summer.
Tough to pass up Carlson. Number 23 on the list. ASU sounds pretty nice though. Especially in January. Good luck.
@chmcnm yeah I totally get what your saying. Carlson is really the only reason I’m allowing U of MN to stay in the race, just cause I know if business is what I want to do (but I’m not totally set on business though that’s the thing), I know I’ll be able to land a pretty damn good job coming out of my undergrad. Also, the networking and job placement is probably some of the best in the country, and Carlson really churns our high quality students each year.
@chmcnm I’m gonna be honest with you, that list that you provided above is either majorly flawed or severely out of date. Like for example, ASU’s W.P Carrey isn’t even in the Top 97 schools, which is pretty laughable considering it is easily a Top 40 business school in the US. Also, US News has it at #35 right now… just saying. And ASU is always placed as a Top 5 business school in the West for sure. So, again, not really sure what all the numbers really came from, but it’s pretty noticeable that it’s incorrect by a mile.
@MYOS1634 Yeah I would definitely say that having early classes wouldn’t really fit me well. I’d definitely consider myself as more of a night owl than an early riser for sure, and if I get the chance I’d prefer to sleep in. Also, not really sure what you meant by, “It’ll never happen again until you’re 70, if at all?”
And in terms of office hours, how often do professors provide them and should you try and go quite often, minimally, or only if you really need to? Also, if you have questions about the material, is it better to just email them or talk to them about it after class, rather than going in for office hours every time?
Also, in terms of note taking, how much do you really need to do in order to get the most out of it and feel good about the tests? Like are we talking trying to write as much down as possible or only the essential stuff? Will he/she tell us when to write down stuff? Will the professors share the power-points or notes for future reference? Because at my school the teacher will post the lecture as a Power Point for example, and then we are able to move it into Notability on our iPads and then when it comes time to study for the test the night before, you can just pull up the lectures essentially.
As for the handwriting vs. typing, I feel like there’s a good chance I’m going to have to go back and remember what I wrote down/typed out when I’m studying later on, so wouldn’t it just be more worth it to type given you’d be able to “type” out more of what’s being said?
@Knowsstuff just wondering but what are 1600 clubs? Also, what are some of those opportunities that your professors can provide you with? And if you’d also be able to give a little background on the time management book, just so I know what I’m getting into before reading, that’d be awesome as well!
@powercropper thanks for the tips!
And yes, those Vitamin C pills/gummies really do the trick. Ever since I started taking them just this past winter (since the sick season in MN is always the worst during the winter months), I never got any serious sickness, besides for like one mild cold.
In terms of being religious, I feel like I want to be more active in this sense, but not let it be a super big factor; just something minimal that would be fun to do along with academics and extracurriculars.
https://admissions.umich.edu/life-michigan/organizations-activities
so literally 1600 clubs. He didn’t see one for Augmented Reality so he and a Ross bushiness kid formedhttps://www.altrealityinitiative.com/ as a freshman. I can go into it if you want to PM me. They applied and got $15,000 grants etc to form this and have their conference. He took the conference online (most of you tube now) because of the virus.
If you read the link it goes over the book. It’s a fast read and actually a fun read. Just different techniques to work less and get better grades. Many on the medical and engineering forums have used and suggested the book. Has a great section on procrastination and that is the reason I got it for my son. He doesn’t do that really anymore. I think the link goes over the contents . You can read it in an hour but I would take a bit more time and really learn some of the techniques even if you think you don’t need it. Like all the reviews are 5 stars for a reason.
Opportunitues that professors can provide. Research, jobs, alumni connections to name a few. Plus their knowledge. Many of my sons Professors in Engineering are “the” experts in their fields. Like every paper on “X” subject is authored or co-authored by them. They want their own to prosper.
Yes. How does WP Carey not make the list yet when at least 5-6 of their business disciplines are included in US News Top 15 rankings? Marketing, Supply Chain, Management, MIS and Quantitative Analysis are all Top 10-15, and yet Sacred Heart, Florida Southern, and UT Arlington made the list? Berkeley Haas is #83? It’s ranked #3 by US News.
And no, Purdue Krannert is not the 89th best undergraduate business. At least Top 40. BYU too has a very good business school. That’s one messed up list.
But Michigan is number #2 so its all good.LOL