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I started Georgia Tech in the fall of 1991, full of hopes, dreams, and aspirations. While things haven't turned out like I planned - I have a degree from the University [sic] of Georgia - it has been a wild ride, and I wouldn't change it for the world. As the oldest current member of the Technique staff, it falls to me to pass on a few pearls of wisdom from my seemingly interminable college career.
Find a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple.
Tech is so focused on the material and the empirical, that many students ignore the spiritual side of life. Especially at this school, it is so important to stay grounded in the things are truly important as the academic and social pressures mount. Georgia Tech has many fine campus ministries, and they are worth checking out.
Find a release:
Someone once described Georgia Tech as an academic boot camp. During your tenure here, you will go for what seems like whole quarters without sleep, weeks without sunlight, and days without talking to another living soul. Without a release, such as clubs, fraternities, and sororities, you will go nuts, and will be found curled up in a fetal position in the Rich building.
Don't release too much:
After all, we are here to learn. It is estimated that students need to study two hours for each hour in class. While this may be a little unrealistic, it is a good rule of thumb. Georgia Tech takes hard work to succeed, and often even to keep afloat.
Prioritize:
If you really studied for two hours for each hour in class, slept eight hours each night, and had even a modicum of a social life, you would need something like 200 hours each week just to get it all done. In order to survive, you need to learn how to manage time. In part this means using those free minutes between classes towards productive ends and not scheduling all your hard classes the same quarter. It also means realizing that there are some days that are just too beautiful to go to class.
Meet People:
I think the most important lessons I have learned in college have not been in the classroom, but when I met someone from a completely different background and sat and searched for common ground.
Road trip!
After all, if you can get used to sleeping in a 10 x 15 room for nine months of a year, sleeping on the floor is a small price to pay in order to explore the U.S, or even the world. I have managed to travel all the way across the continent without paying for a single hotel room.
Explore yourself:
Now that you are away from home, and nobody knows who you are, it is the perfect time to "find yourself." While the expression is trite, the idea is valid. You have an opportunity to experience so much in college. Some of it is good, some is terrible, and some female ratio is reversed, and everyone has a 4.0. Do not heed this treachery! Alas, I fell prey to UGA's [sic] siren song, and I had to return once I had seen the error of my ways. Tech is survivable, and though you may walk through the valley of the shadow of academic probation, you should fear no evil. You made it here, and you can survive Tech Despite all the evidence to the contrary, people actually do graduate from Tech, and some even manage to do it in four years. Just remember to take the time to enjoy life while you are here.