Just started college today, need advices

Good luck, study hard, stick to the books, do your work, stay away from parties, stay away from distractions, stay in school.

I didn't finish college, so I could only tell you what not to do.

I love cucumber.
I remember years ago when we had a family vegetable garden. Turns out we had grown too many cucumber plants, and we had more than we could handle. Just imagine. Everyday, you just walk up to the garden, pick up a cucumber or two, and just crunch them, there and now under the summer sun. Damn I miss that...

Also, why am I talking about my childhood here? Sorry. I'll show myself out.

College is not so difficult. You have plenty of free time because classes last a finite amount of time in your day (unlike all day high school). Depending on your program, you might have more or less work to do on your own. In that respect, planning your time is important. No need for a very strict schedule, but a rough plan that you can stick too will greatly help.

I think the best way to go through college is to give yourself some free time, but to also limit yourself to some extent so you make sure to study. Attend all your classes: they're much better for learning than skipping them and studying on your own. If you attend and actually listen, you'll cut your study time tenfold, and thus you'll have more free time, and thus you'll be in a much better mood all year long!

And well, if you're not too much the party type or if you aren't a coffee drinker, you'll find that studies really aren't that expensive and you won't be crumbling under dept like most of the drinkers. Weird observation I know, but those drinks end up costing quite a lot. But then again, everybody has something they like spending money on!

Don't do drugs.

Oh cool. enjoy mate :)
They say the this time is one of the best on life. You will get to learn a lot of new things. Meet new people who may become friends for life. SO choose well.

Oh and study well. Hardwork and determination are required, that goes without saying. Those two are the base essentials.
Btw, which subject you majoring in?

I finished long time ago, my advice ? BANG everything that moves.

And now perfectly serious, it will be alright without any advices :)

Take time to study, if you choose to party, stick with smaller groups of friends, set a schedule when you need things done by (that aren't the day they're due.

watch out for jailbait

There will be girls.Lots of girls.Always use condoms and never say "I can go on without condoms for a bit more".Afterpills are expensive in some countries, in mine.

If you're in Europe, make sure you get into Erasmus program but since you're not nevermind.

STUDY in first grade, make sure you get a high GPA in the first semester.Then carry on, get average grades and have fun with your honor degrees ( if your university or college gives it ).

Also HIGH GPA = MORE SCHOLARSHIP MONEY = MOAR GAMEZ ! at least that's how it is for me.

ALWAYS eat A LOT before you go out with your friends for a drink or two.You'll get wasted if you drink with an empty stomach.

Stay in school? I don't know.

Good luck in your college :D

you know what you should do.

Ask your adviser if there are any core first/second year classes you can test out of. They're basically high school v2, the more time you can spend towards things that matter to you the better.

First day in college and you figured the best way to spend your time is to make this thread/poll?
Off to a great start I see!

I am 3 years into it. The best advice I can give you is to try whatever you want now that you can. Life is too short to be shy and hold back. As for the studying part, always do the extra credit assignments and hide distractions during exam period (like pc,going out etc). Good luck with your future :D

Do not kill the teacher! Nobody tells you about this but you should always know that.

Try not to overwhelm yourself with your course work. A lot of first years overburden themselves thinking they have to learn every little bit instead of focusing on the main concepts that they are trying to teach you. Remember, you are not there to memorize but to learn how to approach and think about problems that you will face. No one hires an encyclopaedia when they can use google; they hire those who can use google to help them.

As far as graphic arts go, remember that no matter how good the certificate or degree looks on it's own for saying you passed, the most important key is skill and talent that you can show as an artist. So always keep practising, strive to keep improving (you will never be perfect, but you can always improve and be happier with new attempts).

It never hurts to have a diverse range of what you can do as an artist. One can master 3D textures for example or animation, but it's always good to have a decent grasp on shading for example. If not to help you or to fill in elsewhere, then to just help make it easier for someone else on your team once you get into the field and start working professionally. At least know the basics so if the opportunity does show up, you can show to others you are worth keeping around or can move between projects easier than those who can only do one or two things at most.

As Cjcomplex said, don't try to memorise and do everything as quickly as possible. You are there to learn how to do, ho to get into it, how to figure out what you need to learn when you encounter something you are unsure about. Things come in time and you pad them out with time and experience.

When you are drawing, painting, modelling, building, whatever aspect of graphic design you are getting into, learn to appreciate having references and guides. There is absolutely no shame in having a second monitor full of pictures of a city street for example while you are building a city street in 3ds Max or Unreal Engine; having a book of human anatomy, showing the muscles and bones of the hand, while you draw out a fist in a fight scene is very helpful .
Unless it's a test or an experiment in doing something from memory, it's okay to use examples to help inspire your original creations. Even tracing can be okay if you are just using them to learn the basic outline and flow of something (just don't claim it's your own work then).

Make a portfolio. Have examples of your work, a way to look at your range of abilities and what you are happy with and what you are proud of and what others consider to be strong (those things may or may not be mutually exclusive, art is subjective after all the more creative it becomes). You can constantly update, you can go back and improve what you have put in, you can even replace them if need be. It's just a good habit to get into to have something to present and show off however be it physical or digital.
Personally I recommend having a website, a physical artwork (digital printing for the 3D stuff), and a CD to hand out for when you start looking for jobs. I'm sure a class of yours will go into that.

If you are doing work on a computer, LEARN PROGRAMMING and/or coding! You don't need to be a master at MEL/Python or C++ or whatever it may be in the computer programs you use, but you can make your life easier when you know how to make a custom tool box of single button combinations in a 3D program (MEL in Maya, one click to create generic barrels for example) or to create custom actions in Photoshop to speed up time and take a lot of the tedious work out of your average day. It's something that can go a long way.

Start your assignments early and turn them in on time. A basic one there I know, but a lot of people get in the habit of saving something given to them on Monday for example, and not finishing it until Sunday, a day before it's due. It's better to get something done early than try to rush and get it completed late.

Have fun. Seriously, you are going to be creating works of art and design that will please the eye or at least help form a world. At times, in school and outside of it, there will be points when it can become tedious to do "make X amount of trees" or "go through this catalogue and ensure all the spacing between image and text is exactly x amount of metres/inches", so you have to ensure you keep those creative juices going and your mind active. You have to make sure whatever brought you to the world of art, stays a part of who you are, and hopefully grows.

Ignore the don't drink advice (I don't do drugs)... Its all about responsibility and meeting expectations... i'm about to finish my studies in Political Science and I can tell you is probably the most fun you'll ever have in you life... You can drink and party whenever you like, just learn to always do your homework and keeping up to your responsibilities... My group of friends and I were/are the ones that like to get drunk a lot, but we never skipped classes nor missed exams nor ever couldn't deliver homework because we were drunk... You can have fun responsibly and it all a State of mind... Learn to balance you work with your pleasure...

Also, this is kinda hard and it depends of the type of person you are, but try to meet as much people and stay in contact with as much people as possible, they could be your benefactors once you finish your studies and may be the ones that know someone that need someone like you for a job... Be polite and try to relate with as much people as possible... as an old friend of mine used to say: "its not important to know, but to have the phone number of who knows" or something like that... One never knows the way this world turns and that guy who you always saw and never talked to may be the guy that helps you getting a job or you best friend to work with...

And lastly, don't disregard classes/subjects because you simply never liked them... Every course in your career exists for a reason... try to learn as much as possible from it and know its hows at least... learn why it is important and how you can use it... Learn as much as possible, even just to start or maintain a conversation about the subject, because it will be useful in the future...

Ok. "advice" is a non-countable noun.

If you want good grades: Never piss off your instructors and ask smart questions in class so the professors remember your name. Don't draw penises in class unless that's what you're supposed to be drawing ;>_>

Be polite to instructors and be teachers pet then they will give you grades just because they associate you with a good student. DO ALL EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS! Also make sure you focus on classes for your Major not your Core classes since Major requires classes in a order like CS 1201 then CS 2302 so if you take all your Core you are going to end up doing one or two classes a semester and it will SUCK! Also if you have a iPod, Xbox One, Gaming PC, or a girlfriend be sure to put them in your trunk and lock it. PS if you put your girlfriend in trunk make sure there's enough food and water to last the semester.