Incoming students fortunate to attend university, should lead respectable lifestyles
Starting college is an exciting time for a student. All the hard work is finally paying off. Not everyone gets the opportunity to go to college, so the lucky bunch that do should take advantage of it and behave in a manner that would make family and friends proud.
Dorm life can be kind of like “Lord of the Flies” sometimes, especially when students come into college with a “no parents, no rules” mindset. While parents may not be around to watch your every move and help make decisions for you, they still exist and would appreciate a phone call every once in a while.
Parties are fun. Underage drinking is illegal. Don’t forget that. There are rules, and if you break them, your parents will be very upset with you.
Resident mentors are here to help you. They want their residents to be successful at Carolina. They aren’t out to get you as long as you follow the rules. RMs are the best people to talk to if you are having trouble adjusting to college life or if you and your roommate aren’t seeing eye to eye.
Please take a good look at the USC attendance policy before deciding to skip classes. Free days are few and far between. Just showing up to class is a good step toward success. Maybe you were one of those lucky students who didn’t have to study in high school but still got good grades. This learning method will become more difficult in college because there will be some material that is never covered in class but will show up on final exams. Read every syllabus, and don’t slack off on reading assignments. Reading a whole textbook the night before an exam is not exactly possible unless you have super powers.
Don’t be afraid to have fun and make new friends. Just don’t jeopardize your education in the process.
