#aside from the mild fire hazard if you have trouble sleeping for yourself it really helps to sleep for your pokemon

[useless-prophet]

I have to get a GOOD SLEEP tonight because its GOOD SLEEP DAY and I get 3x EXPERIENCE and if I don't my Pokémon will be SAD at me

—me, with horrible self control and a history of very bad late night decisions but gosh are these Pokémon cute and I'm not letting them down

[emptyolivejar]

If I can impart some wisdom upon those who are going off to college just based on my own experiences.

Cooking- While it’s not hard to pick up the basics of cooking from cook books (or simple online recipes), learning how to safely use knives is a must, whether that means watching videos of safe knife handling or having someone show you. Don’t use metal utensils in pans, you’ll scrape off the nonstick coating. Safe food handling and storage is also essential to learn. You never know if the particular piece of chicken you’re making is going to give you food poisoning if you mishandle. If you live off of dining hall food, that’s all well and good, but the cooks are human. Learning to recognize when food is undercooked or spoiled can be essential to you avoiding getting sick.

Laundry- Your clothes will last a lot longer if you follow the instructions on the tags. In a pinch, if you want to wash certain things together but be careful because on the wrong cycle things will shrink, colors will run, and things will stretch. Always remember to empty the lint trap before you dry your clothes to avoid dryer fires (your clothes will also dry better). Many washers and dryers will lock until the cycle is over in public laundry spaces, but you need to make sure to come get your clothes when they cycle ends. People will move them to use the machine and nobody wants stranger hands on their clothes. Washing your sheets, pillow cases, and towels weekly is a good way to avoid breaking out.

Bills- Set reminders in your phone, calendar, whatever will help you remember to pay them on time. Missing payments can result in not only being fined, but they can even impact your credit. If you can, pay them ahead of time. Keep your bill and pay statements in case there’s an issue and so you have them in your records.

Finals- For the love of God start these are early as possible, even if it just means doing a little bit whenever you have time so that you aren’t having to write a whole essay or cram overnight.  It will help you get a better grade and avoid burnout. Read through your final draft at least twice and if you can, have someone look over your work. Listen to the professor what they tell you what will be on the test. Highlight those portions in your notes and study them.

Cleaning- Everybody has different preferences for cleanliness, but if your mess will attract bugs and other pests (like food left out) or post a safety hazard (like large piles of stuff on the floor) it needs to be addressed asap. Most dorms will also require you to clean to some extent before you move out and if you leave a mess you’ll be charged. Taking the time to sweep, dust, and clean the bathroom now and then could save you a lot of time when you need to move out.

Homework- Check the syllabus whenever class ends. Your homework will be there the vast majority of the time. Just because your professor doesn’t mention homework doesn’t mean you don’t have it. Set your student email to send alerts to your phone so you know immediately when a professor emails you about extra work, cancelled classes, extra credit opportunities, etc. On the subject of extra credit, it isn’t always necessary to do, but if you’re trying to keep your gpa up or you didn’t do so well on a big assignment, it can really help your grade to make yourself do an extra credit assignment or two, especially because most professors won’t offer you many of them. 

Friends- I’m probably one of the least social people that I know, but being in a new place away from everyone that I knew caused a pretty lengthy depression spell for me. Being willing to talk to people in your classes, sign up for a club, and/or attend campus events is a great way to meet new people.

Roommates- Some people become good friends with their roommates. Others hate their roommates. As someone who has dealt with both of these scenarios, let me tell you that the best goal you can set is to simply be able to live with your roommate. That is not to say that if you have a serious issue with your roommate that you shouldn’t talk with student housing asap. What I’m talking about is the roommate who has some rude habits. You have to compromise when possible and learn to change your own behavior elsewhere in order to make your life as easy as possible. One of my roommates was messy while I’m a neat freak. The compromise was that his mess never crossed onto my side of the room or into shared spaces and that nothing that could rot was ever left out. My roommate had the table manners of a wild animal while I have SPD. Since I can’t exactly tell him not to eat, I would put on my headphone and find something to keep my attention while he was eating. I thought he had a shit personality and he thought I was a sap. We didn’t really talk with one another unless it was important. On a brighter note, my other roommate and I regularly supported one another, joked around, and watched tv together. I consider him to be a good friend of mine and I’m excited to get to know him as a person rather than as a roommate this year. Roommates are a grab bag. Learning communication skills and being willing to set boundaries and respect the boundaries of others is an absolute must.

Homework- My recommendation is to figure out how many days you have until the assignment is due and then work on it in portions. If you have to read 100 pages in three days, reading 33 pages a day is a great way to get it done. If an assignment is small, getting it done the day you get it is advisable. Larger assignments need to be started as soon as possible. Taking the time to read through your assignments before turning them in can be the different between whole letter grades. Professors love seeing revision. If you’re struggling with an assignment, you’re probably not the only one. Trading numbers or emails with people in your classes can help when your having troubles or don’t understand something.

Burnout- It happens, especially around finals. Take naps when you need them. Try to aim for at least seven hours of sleep. Sometimes setting your homework aside for the day is necessary if you want to be productive the rest of the week. It’s very rare for someone in college to do 100% of the work assigned to them. Figuring out what the important assignments/readings are and focusing on those is a lot more realistic than doing everything on the syllabus. Having a relaxing hobby like watching tv, playing video games, or something else that completely takes your mind off of school work is essential just as knowing when it’s time to work and when it’s time to play is. Finding balance is difficult, but possible.

Health- Whenever you return to campus after a break, people tend to get sick. Starting vitamin boosts before hand can help in the long run, as does getting a flu shot if you can. If you have a mild cold, taking dayquil and going to class can help you keep up, but if you’re hacking or have a hard time getting out of bed, stay home! You’re professors expect students to have a certain amount of sick days. However, if you think you’re going to miss class, you’ll need to get in contact with your professor. Make sure to wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your eyes, mouth, nose, and face. Colleges are also notorious for offering free condoms and packets of lube. Personally, there was no freshman fifteen, but the dining hall food did spike my cholesterol. Little things like only eating bacon a few times a week can go a long way, but at the same time, making sure to eat enough is essential.

Anyone is free to add to this or correct me.