Welcome to the first session of College 101 - the HOW TO session. This session is basically going to take you through all those things that you need to know but you don't really realize that you need to know them until you need to know them. Did that sentence make sense? Okay, good.

First, I want you to think about things that you want to know. go ahead and write those down on your post it note and I will tell you where to put them in just a second. At the end of the session, I will look at them and try to address the ones that I know off the top of my head. If I can't get to it right then, I will add it to the list of things we need to address at the next session.

If you weren't able to make the session and you're reading this online, then you can go to the next slide. Also, we missed you and we wish you would have been there with us!

Really, we do.

Right when you enter college, you become an adult. I know, I know. You don't feel like an adult yet. That's okay.

Your freshman year is the time when you really learn how do that thing we love to call "adulting."

The first step is to learn some simple things that will make your life easier. Learn how to sew a button, separate your laundry, and iron a shirt. Learn how to jump start your car, check the air in your tires, and change those tires. And if you're not even sure where to start, try right here:

How to sew a button: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-sew-on-a-button/

How to seperate laundry: http://www.mamaslaundrytalk.com/laundry-basics-how-to-sort-clothes/

How to iron a shirt:
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/04/06/how-to-iron-shirt/

How to jump start your car:
http://www.dummies.com/home-garden/car-repair/how-to-jump-start-a-car/

How to check the air in your tires:
http://www.ntb.com/tires/Check-Tire-Pressure-Education.j

How to change a tire:
http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tread-and-trend/drivers-ed/how-to-change-a-f...

How to write a check:
http://www.immihelp.com/newcomer/writing-a-check-tips.html

How to label an envelope:
http://www.wikihow.com/Label-an-Envelope

Okay, let's be honest. Making friends is hard now and you're surrounded by people that you have known for years. So, it's natural to assume that making friends will only get more difficult when you get to college and you're surrounded by people you don't know. However, I am here to bring you good news, great news, the best news ever! It's not that hard. Here are the steps that you need to follow:

1. Be open minded
2. Be yourself
3. Be available
4. Be flexible
5. Be realistic

...and you don't have to take it from just me. These are reiterated in tons of news articles by people that, I assume, have many more friends than I do. So, check out these articles, as well:

http://college.usatoday.com/2012/07/30/10-ways-to-make-friends-in-college/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/28/real-guide-making-friends_n_540657...

There are 2 things in life that most people just aren't very good at managing: time and money. We are going to talk about both of these, but let's tackle time management first.

So, it's no surprise that you're going to be busy as a college freshman. It's going to happen. Accept this now.

However, you don't need to be miserable and you don't have to sacrifice fun and friends for good grades. It can all be accomplished at the same time!

1. Manage your academic time. Remember, you're ultimate goal in college is that degree, so you need to make sure that you have your eye on the prize. Your best friend will be your planner. You can buy a cheap planner at the book store and, a lot of times, you can get one for free at orientation (you get a lot of free stuff there - make sure you go!) Set your study times just like you would any other commitment and do not miss those appointments. If you have a test on Friday, set your study time for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday well in advance.

2. Manage your personal time. It's important to study and you want to pass your classes for various reasons, but if you are absolutely miserable then you're not to get much done. So just like you need to keep your appointments to study and prepare for class, you also need to keep your appointments to do something fun with your friends on and off of campus. Just make sure you're striking a good balance. You don't need to play on 75 intramural teams.

Everone studys differently, but one thing that everyone needs to do is make a plan. I could talk for the full hour about different ways to study but instead of doing that, I am going to share a resource with you that I love and I want all of you to use. Start using it now! Well, not right now because you are busy. But soon. Maybe in 45 minutes - when I am done talking. Okay, here it is:

https://howtostudyincollege.com

Listen, no one can tell you what works for you. You have to make your own plan. But the thing you have remember, that I have now said three times, is that you must have a plan. If High School is easy for, I feel glad for you son but soon you will have 99 problems and studying for college will be one (I sang that out loud as I was typing it.) You have to have a study plan!

Want help making one? Come see us in the library. We love studying and we love research and we love helping students. Really - we love all of those things!

Money management! My favorite thing!

...just kidding. It's my least favorite thing in the world. So take it from someone who is bad at managing money even as an adult - learn how to do this now. When you're 30, you will be so happy and you will thank me. And I will still be bad at managing money so I will ask you for advice.

Here's what needs to happen:

Get on mint.com now. Start planning a budget and watching your spending. You want to go to college armed with as much knowledge about where you spend money as possible. That way you are able to prepare for where you will really need to be tight on your budget.

You don't have to eat ramen every day in order to make it through college (Don't believe me? Go to our College 101 Lunch Sessions!) Start budgeting now and you will be ready when you get there. Your friends will be totes jealous. They'll probably also ask you for money. Just tell them that you didn't budget for that.

So, everything that you have heard/read so far is awesome, I know. But you can't do any of that awesome stuff if you don't take care of yourself. That's the main part of adulting that even super adults can be really bad at. So start following these tips now:

1. Stay healthy. Just because there are free donuts and sodas in the Student Union every Friday doesn't mean you need to always have them. Drink water. Eat vegetables. Be active! Your body really will thank you.

2. Use the college services provided to you. There are doctors of all kinds available to you on a college campus and you're already paying for them - use them! If you have a cold then get it taken care of, if you're feeling depressed then go talk to someone, whatever you need - get it taken care of before it turns into something big.

3. Sleep! I would never have thought that I would need to tell people to sleep, but it's a real thing - some people just don't sleep. I know that you're going to want to be involved in everything in the world but nothing will be fun if you're sleepy. It will be the opposite of fun and you might fall asleep in the middle of what you're doing. So, just sleep. Remember how we decided you would budget your time for work and fun? Budget some sleep in there, too.

Did I overwhelm you? Well, the good news is that it's only November and you have time. So start doing these things now! Treat your second semester of high school like you are in college. Practice adulting. Budget your money and time. Take care of yourself.

The best part is that we are here to help you if you have questions and concerns! Come to the library or the Go Center and let us know what you need to make sure you are prepared for college.

Keep attending these sessions to learn even more about surviving your plunge into adult hood. Next week will be all about taking care of yourself. TCO police will be to teach you about protecting yourself on Campus and we will be back in the kitchen to teach you about how to make healthy meals using that budget that we talked about earlier.

In the meantime, watch some of those inspiring videos to get you really amped up for what's coming next in your life: COLLEGE.

http://www.collegerank.net/10-ted-talks-every-potential-college-student-sho...