1. A good rule of thumb: Prepare to study roughly two hours for every hour of class. Compute this on weekly basis. Studying more at the start of the semester will keep you from having to study at the end of the semester.

2. Be open to change:

You must expect to learn and grow and change throughout your time at school. And the same should happen to your roommate, if all goes well.As the semester progresses, realize things would change for both of you. Be at ease addressing things that unexpectedly come up, setting new rules, and being flexible to your changing environment.

3. Read the syllabus: The syllabus for your class might be the most important document you receive from the professor, and it will include information like how to reach your instructor and schedule of the course (when you are expected to turn things in, prepare for tests, and, perhaps most importantly, when you are not supposed to come to class). If you ask your instructor an enquiry that might be answered with "It's on the syllabus," you might not be making the best impression.

4. Wake up early: Getting up on time on weekends gives all sorts of extra hours. You should waking up at 9 a.m. is like manufacturing time. By the time your classmates roll out of bed around lunch, your study hour allocation might be done for the day.

5. Ask from teacher:

Your professors most probable have office hours. You should visit every professor at least once.The ability to make know them is at least part of what your teaching is paying for. Just ask them to do things with you.

6. Avail yourself of opportunities: If your university is good, famous people come speak and they will be talking to a half-full auditorium. They have nothing to do later and would be happy to chat with students.

7. Make time to get to know classmates: Take the long view. If people are weird and cliquey, understand that in three more years, none of that will matter. You will all be thrust out into the real world and fact that you have any connection to each other whatsoever would be enough to make friendships possible.

8. Take benefit of this fact: Spend some time figuring out how to position the for future job opportunities. If you already know what you want to do that would be great. If you don't, work on discover what you like and what you do not and how people make a living doing what it is you like. If you have an alumni office, check in and see who works in the areas of interest. People love to help college students.

9. Make portfolio: If you are into an inventive field, work on building up a portfolio. I cannot stress this enough. You can get professionals on your campus to critique you, and one way or another you have already figured out the way not to be homeless. This is not guaranteed later. So build up some work you are proud of at the present and start showing it to people. If you are a dancer, choreograph some dances and tape performances. It would be really, hard to get a great troop of dancers to perform the work on a whim after you graduate.

10. Create time to grow the mind:  Study things you find attractive. Take courses just as the books look incredible at the student book store. Study the great books and great works of art. My favourite classes from college were on art and music history, and class on the Bible in western cultural tradition. You will spend your life mastering helpful skills. Some things are worth studying for beauty by you.