[Stef the Pef]

*Especially if you have deferred recruitment, meet as many sorority women as you can. We don't bite, and if you mention that you're going through recruitment, most folks are more than happy to talk about their sisterhood, what'll happen at parties, etc., introduce you to other sisters, etc. If we know you, we don't have to start out with "so, what's your major?" at parties or anything lame like that.

*HUGE ditto to "go to class." Study hard, and aim for a 4.0. Even if you don't make it that high, at least you'll have tried and sometimes if all you're expecting from a class is a C, that's what you'll end up with when you could have done better if you tried.

*If you go to parties, go with a group of friends you trust and have at least one person stay sober for the night and make sure that nobody gets too sloppily drunk, does anything too embarrassing, and makes sure that everyone's accounted for and back at home by the end of the night. If you do get a bit tipsy, it helps a lot to eat something either before or after and to drink lots and lots of water, and if you're on a campus that doesn't approve of folks coming back to the dorms after drinking (regardless of being of drinking age or not), make sure folks from the dorms can crash in a friend's off-campus apartment or something. (and never, ever, ever drink or smoke in letters)

*Be open with your roommates and neighbors. Don't wait 'til the end of the year (or before finals) to say that you really didn't like them--if it doesn't work, speak up and maybe you can switch roomies before things get out of hand or at least you'll know that there's a roomie/neighbor problem. One of my biggest regrets from last year was that I didn't complain about noise enough to my noisy neighbors when I was trying to study, and I ended up always staying up late and miserable. Ask nicely and you're not the "homework ogre" of the hall--you just want a little respect, and that usually goes over well.

*If you hate the food, you can't go wrong with cereal. Milk's usually brought in from elsewhere, and cereal? The cafeteria staff never has to touch it.

*Go into classes with an open mind. The most vocal students about profs are usually the ones who either ticked off the prof or got a horrible grade for the class. Sometimes the most disorganized, meanest, worst person on campus according to the prof reviews is the nicest guy you'll take for the semester.

*Don't text message or instant message during class. If you brought a laptop, open up the prof's notes on the lecture during class if they're available (if you don't, print it out and add extra writing space)--then you can add what he left out on the lecture notes, what you find interesting, think might be discussed later, etc.

*Most folks I know use paper planners, but if you have something like a Palm or a Blackberry, use the alarm function! Set it to go off ten minutes before you have to wander to class (fifteen if it's an awful walk), and it's a lifesaver.

*Get to know your profs, TAs, older students, RAs, the "academic support" office, your sorority's academic officer--all those resources are there and can help you do better with schoolwork stuff, and besides, profs are sometimes a lot more interesting out of class than they are in class.