FRESHMAN YEAR

Tips:

• Try out some clubs and sports teams to see what you like. Now's the time to experiment!
• Take the most advanced classes for which you are eligible. You can always drop to a lower level if it's too hard, but you can't always move up if it's too easy.
• Don't beat yourself up for your first semester grades, but by the time the spring semester rolls around, colleges will expect you to buckle down.

Expert Advice:
"Work on your vocabulary skills. Maybe that's by crossword puzzles, maybe it's by reading. Students who succeed verbally are readers, not because they did a cramming course."

-- Bruce Poch, Vice President and Dean of Admissions at Pomona College