Well folks, can you believe it? The first day of school has come and gone. Hopefully, this editorial finds you without stress and ready to face the next day of first classes. It’s hard to believe that summer is over. However, it is time to get down to some serious school work. At least for some people it is.

If you are a freshman, you may have gone to bed last night with questions swimming through your head. Could one of those questions have possibly been, “How do I prepare for college level courses?” Even if it wasn’t, we are giving you the answer anyway. Some instructors don’t take attendance and some take attendance and assign points for simply attending class. Here is our advice to everyone: attend every class.

A person who attends class has the opportunity to listen to an intelligent person lecture in a lecture hall. In the small-classroom environment, you will get invaluable personal attention from the instructor. Also, we have yet to encounter a teacher who refuses to answer questions about the assigned readings or the lecture. This brings us to another piece of advice: read all of the assigned readings.

The readings will compliment the lectures and vice versa so read every page. Don’t be afraid to use a highlighter to point out the main points of the reading. This will help you further establish a connection with the main point. Bookstores pay the same price for a book that is covered in highlighter as one that is in perfect condition.

Some of you may not like to read. Nonetheless, skipping the reading entirely should be out of the question. At minimum, read the first paragraph under each main heading and the summary at the end of the chapter if it has one. This way you, at the very least, know what is being talked about in class and then ask questions to try and clarify the material. We have come to another piece of advice: participate in class.

Come to class ready to ask questions. It is important that you take the opportunity to clear up as much confusion as possible in class because the next class will be built on the class before. If you are still struggling with the basics, it will be difficult to comprehend the more advanced material.

So, go to every class, read the books and participate. Most students here are now paying $13,000 a year to attend University classes and live on campus. It would a terrible waste of money to skip classes and assignments. We have come to the final piece of advice: take our advice.