They say that the difference between smart people and dumb people is that smart people learn from someone else’s experiences. Whether you agree or not, opinions are the one thing that are going to come thick and fast at the mere mention of having secured a place on a course at university. Everyone has a top tip to help you get by on campus. Like planning a budget. Eating right. Drinking enough water. Getting enough sleep. Then there’s remembering to call home. Setting a night aside each week for study so you don’t get behind. Make friends. But don’t trust anybody. Get enough exercise. Join a club. Apply for volunteer work. Get on first name terms with your lecturers. Change your passwords. And try to enjoy yourself. Phew. That’s a lot. But what nobody ever gets into is the minutiae – the finer details that will sideswipe you if you’re not careful.

Stepping up your essay writing game

If you thought that writing essays in high school was a drag, strap in (things are about to get really tedious). You see, in college, your ideas aren’t really your own. What? Yeah, I said it. All the course leaders care about is how well researched you are. That means quoting people and citing your sources (see this APA citation creator for answers). And to be fair, that’s sort of the point of university – to understand what’s gone before. Later in your college course you’ll be asked to write papers on your own ideas, but for the first year? You’re pretty much going to be tested on how well you can present arguments based on what you have absorbed from authorities on the topic. If you’ve ever seen an example piece of university work, you’ll have noticed all the brackets containing sources and names of books and authors. It doesn’t look great. It doesn’t look readable. But you’re not writing a blog on how to have fun here. Essay writing at university is a complete gear change.

Your friends become your support network

You may have had the same best friends in your life since the age of four. These are the people who were born in your town, grew up in the streets around where you lived, went to the same schools, and played sports for the same local clubs. You know them. They know you. You depend on them. However, the college cliff edge is very real. Your roommates and the people on your course won’t always result in solid friendships. The best advice is to join clubs and widen your net – and there are LOTS of college clubs to join.