1.

Go to class... and participate. Professors test on what is discussed in class as well as grade for attendance and participation. Don't abuse your new freedom. Being there is your responsibility.

2.

Find and get to know one individual on campus who knows you are here and cares about your survival. Try your advisor, a professor, a club sponsor, someone in residence life.

3.

Learn what helping resources your campus offers, where they are located, and what their hours are. Use the Student Success Website to see what is located in the Wilson Hall Learning Center and the Warren Hall Service Center. (Don't forget to tell your friends!)

4.

Understand why you are in college. Your college experience will be much more productive if you can identify specific goals you wish to accomplish.

5.

Set up a daily and weekly schedule and stick to them. You'd be surprised how much more time in the day there is, once you plan it all out. Make a semester schedule, too, with important due dates for all of your classes.

6.

If you are attending classes full time, try not to work more than 10-15 hours per week. Most students begin a downhill slide in their quality of learning beyond 15 hours. Don't be one of them!

7.

Assess and improve your study habits. Often, it is the students who had the easiest time in high school who have the hardest time in college. They never learned how to study!

8.

Encourage teachers to involve you in the learning process. Attend classes, actively participate, and take advantage of office hours/appointments to meet with your professors individually. You'll learn more easily and enjoyably, and you'll feel like the professor notices your efforts.

9.

Know how to use the campus library!

10.

Improve your writing. Try the reading and writing labs on the 4th floor of the Wilson Learning Center.

11.

Develop critical thinking skills. Always challenge yourself on the "why" of the material. Why is it important? Why is it believable? This will help you make wise, thought out decisions in other areas of your life.

12.

Visit the Academic Advising and Career Development Center on the 3rd floor of the Wilson Learning Center. Your grades, major, and career plans are part of one interrelated process.

13.

Make one or two close friends among your peers. That way, you can take some of this big, new social life with you after graduation, and they'll share your most important memories.

14.

Learn to be assertive. It's never too late to learn how to stand up for your rights in a way that respects the rights of others.

15.

Get involved!

16.

Take your health seriously. How much sleep you get, what you eat, whether you exercise, and the kinds of decisions you make about drugs, alcohol, and sex all contribute to the way you feel. Get in the habit of being good to yourself, and you'll be a happier person... and a more successful student.

17.

Learn how to manage stress. College can be very stressful-minimize the impact on your peace of mind.

18.

Remember that you are not alone. Many other students are facing the same uncertainties and worries that you now face. Find strength in numbers by talking about it and supporting each other.

19.

Learn to appreciate yourself. You are unique, valuable, and JMU would not be the same place without you.

20.

Try to have realistic expectations. At first you may not make the grades you made in high school. Improvement comes with new skills and practice. (This goes for your social life too. College can feel very lonely in the beginning, but time will allow you to build a new set of friends and interests!)