Attention: incoming college freshmen, an "ask Reddit" submission on "best college life hacks" has gained more than 10,000 responses in one day.
Some schools are already underway, some have just begun their welcome week and some are still awaiting the arrival of their students. A comment thread on Reddit has received a trove of responses aimed to help new college students get by.
Some advice is meant to help students cope with dormitories that might be below the standard of living at home, while some are purely academic. Either way, these tips, or "hacks," are probably not the kind of advice a student would receive from a campus tour guide or an academic advisor.
Here are ten of the best pieces of wisdom from Reddit's "best college life hacks" thread.
1. Wisherg40: "Our air conditioning in our dorm would only go so low, so it was always hot in our room. We took a washrag and ran it under hot water, then laid it on top of the thermostat. Instant cool."
2. Paraglad: "Here's a comment from an actual professor whose session starts in two weeks: 'Go to office hours. 95% of the time, I'm sitting there on Reddit hoping someone will stop by. Every prof I know is in a similar state except the week before the test. We will absolutely help you out and you'll get more out of the class than just showing up to class'... Also, do your homework. Seriously."
3. Wendy14618: "Find a professor that you like, and keep in touch with them often. Go to their office hours with questions, e-mail them, and keep them in the loop in regards to your academic career. When you are applying for grad school, medical school, etc. you will need at least one letter of recommendation from someone familiar with your work, and that can attest to your qualifications. And no, your mom cannot write one for you."
4. Tetra0: "My department had $6K-$10K scholarships that sometimes had only ONE person apply for them. It is the easiest money you will ever make."
5. Rawbamatic: "Cooking with a coffee maker. It boils water when you don't have a stove."
6. Spartannia: "Don't buy books unless you're 100% sure that you'll need them. I'd often see books on the shelves at the bookstore for my classes that the professors didn't call for. I'd usually wait until after syllabus week to make any purchases."
7. Get_it_Reddit: "A 4.0 GPA looks fantastic, but using professors to create connections in your field is the real key to getting in your industry. There are 100 other 4.0 students, people hire names and faces they recognize and trust."
8. Spiderpirate: "Sleep more than you study, study more than you party and party as much as you can."
9. StochasticMath: "It takes the exact same amount of time to read the lecture notes before class or after class. It takes the exact same amount of time to sit through lecture prepared or unprepared. Read the lecture notes before class, think about it for a bit, and then go to the lecture."
10. Sticky_Z: "Egg in ramen. You are welcome."
