This Is All About Homework

Dear Freshman,

            What I’m about to give you is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and I’m not going to sugar coat it or make it all fancy. I’m going to make it so you can read it and understand it easily, and emphasize the fact that these are some of the basics needed to survive in college.

Don’t wait to do your homework. I’m serious, don’t. Whatever it is you think is more important or more fun isn’t worth the pressure you’re putting on your future self.

And I’m not talking about the same homework you had in high school, where you could do it in class the day it was due, or copy someone else the night before. No, these are straight up 4-page essays that you’ll stay up till 3 hours before you get up if you push it to the due date.

Also, when the teacher says the assignment window closes at 12, it closes at 12. No take backs, no “but it’s 12:01”. Unless you have an extension, you’re screwed.

Get ready to read, too. Don’t be afraid to skip to what you need to read if you need it in a project, either; you can always read the whole book later after the semester is over.

Finally, try to get enough sleep if you’re not up doing homework. It’s not worth the tiredness the next day if you’re just up playing games or surfing the web, especially if you commute. (You see, you’ll last through most of the day, but the drive home can get dangerous if you’re tired.)

I leave you with this: You’ll mess up at first, and that’s okay. Just learn from it and better yourself, and try not to let it happen again. If it does, the campus has resources you can use. Good luck out there.

A freshman