New college freshman across the country are moving into their dorms, meeting their roommates, and saying their good-byes to their parents-excited to what the college experience will bring. My first semester of college, I was excited and scared at the same time. I was a first generation college student, so my parents or siblings could not give me any advice for this new experience. I had to just dive right in and try to learn the ropes as soon as I could. So here are a few tips that I learned throughout my college experience:

• Put your bed on risers or cinderblocks (for a cheaper option). You will find that your apartment or dorm will lack adequate storage space. If you get high enough risers, you can fit almost anything under your bed from suitcases to winter/summer clothes that are out of season.

• Label all of your groceries. This is not only to dispel a greedy roommate from snatching your food, but it can be hard to know which is yours if you and your roommates buy similar things. I would buy a sharpie marker and just write you initials on the wrapper or container.

• Only share food if you eat about the same amount as your roommate. I made this mistake my first semester of college. My new roommate said that everyone usually will just share food because it is a lot cheaper and takes up less room. I agreed to pay for the food the first time. I figured she wouldn't eat too much because of how tiny she was. I was very wrong. She pretty much drank the entire gallon of milk within two days. That was the only time I shared food. You only make that kind of mistake once...let's hope.

• Get some computer backup. Some Mac backup will make sure that every one of your assignments, papers, and financial records is safe and secure. During my college years, my computer crashed and I lost everything I had ever done. In my opinion, it is the smartest thing to do to make sure that you can pull up assignments when a teacher loses it, you can pull it right up.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Genevieve_Bordeaux