Ask HN: Advice for freshmen entering college

Take advantage of everything. Try things you've never tried before, even if you're not interested in them (especially if you're not interested in them). This is your one big chance to have the freedom to find out almost anything about yourself and the world. You probably won't have a better opportunity for the rest of your life. Four years will be gone before you know it, so don't regret that you didn't try or do something that could have changed your life.

1) Don't worry if you don't get all As, especially if you're ripping through the curriculum like crazy. This is college, you won't die when you don't have a full 4.0.

2) Find upperclassmen you respect and ask their opinions on classes and professors (take those with a grain of salt) before you take classes. Find the old syllabi for the classes online and figure out what you'll be doing. Don't waste your time on stuff that you don't want / need.

3) Don't feel like you can't do something just because it's not spelled out that way in some piece of documentation. Talk to the people in charge, plead your case well and you're likely to get what you want if it makes sense. This goes for getting credit, taking upper level classes, doing projects, getting funding etc ...

4) Get internships (related to your major) under your belt as early as you can. You might need the experience to get faster to whatever your dream job is. As a corollary to #3, they'll always tell you that freshmen can't get jobs, it's a lie. The truth is that better companies will be willing to give you the time of day to see if you're actually good enough.

5) Finish at least one nontrivial project before you graduate. Have something to show off and to spend spare time on.

Olin has a good reputation, good job and good luck.

I agree with most of the other posts... but have a few things to add:

First, grades matter, or else you'd just self-teach everything and not worry about a degree. A B+ average is not an option. Thus:

Take the minimum number of credit hours to qualify as a full time student. And demand a lot of yourself -- try to earn an A or A+ in each class you take... Read ahead, do problem sets weeks ahead of time, go to office hours. Make each class an obsession. This is much more like real (startup) life. I'd also even consider being a part time student if doing so helps you achieve this. Also, you should do some partying and have a social life, which is another benefit of not taking too many credit hours.

Pre-learn for the next semester. Read the book, do the first month's worth of problem sets, sit in on a few classes. Do some other, related reading. Do this as a reward for being ahead in all of your other classes. Doing this can give you confidence if you decide to skip a prerequisite... to see if you can handle the material.

But fun is also important, so:

Self teach. If you want to learn CS, start now. Pick up some books, start your own projects. Get nerdy. This could lead to some key independent study work with awesome faculty members. What research areas are they working on? Can you hack that? Why not stop by and talk about being a research assistant or even a work study gig?

Money:

If you need to earn any money during school, I suggest either getting a job where you can sit around studying all the time (desk clerk, etc.) or where you are being paid to contribute to research in some way, etc. The bottom line is that if you can be paid for your study hours you will prosper as a student.

Fun:

Don't feel too much pressure to engage in all the over the top social stuff, but realize that you can meet some very interesting people in college, and so be open minded to meeting all sorts of people. Friends will respect you more if you are self-possessed enough to put your academic priorities first. Besides, after two semesters of A/A+ results (see above) you will be known as someone who kicks ass. Everyone always assumes grades are the result of brains or inspiration rather than good planning and hard work (and reasonable pacing). I had a friend in college who was known for being really bright. He would help various classmates with problem sets. On several occasions the people he helped obliged him with oral sex. He's not a creep at all, but that's the sort of gratitude that being respected for your academics can lead to.

Course Selection:

Figure out which professors are well respected for teaching a particular class and make it a MUST to get in that class. Also, don't hesitate to drop a class if it's being taught badly. Most of the classes I had that turned out badly started off with a strong intuition on my part that something was a bit off, yet I persevered due to schedule constraints, etc. It's better to just drop it, add it to your pre-teaching regime (per above) and take it in the future when someone better teaches it.

College is an unexpected combination of self-teaching and guided-learning. You must always self-teach (and pre-learn) but with the guidance of an inspired prof your learning experience can be significantly more fulfilling.

I hate lecturers who take attendance. This isn't preschool, I can make decisions for myself. If I feel like I can do without that one class or feel like something else is more pressing (due project?) then I should be able to act on it. The whole idea of getting points for just being in class is silly anyway. You get grades to be able to rate your own knowledge, not as gifts or punishment. Thus if you've comprehended the subject fully you should get an A and if not, you should get less. Being in class during lecture has nothing to do with comprehension.

Get to know professors so you can get recommendation letters for grad school. I was shy and didn't meet any, and now I'm locked out of grad school for it. (They all require recommendation letters)