Advice for fresh Sun Devils

Being the first in his family to go to college meant Steve Truong had to figure things out on his own. He shares some advice to help future first-year students along the way.

I hit a few bumps my first year of college. Being the first in my family to go to college meant that I had to figure things out on my own. I didn't have an older sibling to go to but I've had a blast figuring things out along the way, and now, I would like to share some advice that I wish someone would have given me.

Academics

The first thing that you should know is that you will survive.

I know you've heard that college is tough, overwhelming, and even stressful, but that's just the truth. If you keep pushing forward, you can make it. When you need help, get it. If you have questions, then ask. Those are a few of your "keys to success."

Make sure to keep up with any reading you have to do for class.

If you start falling behind, you'll end up playing catch up the rest of the semester, and trust me, it is no fun! An easy way to stay focused is to be organized. Get an agenda, calendar, or whatever tools you need to keep up with your school work.

Learn about — and leverage — the resources available to you as a student.

You're paying for them as a part of your tuition so you might as well use them right? ASU offers tutoring in a wide variety of subjects and on top of that, there are centers to help with professional development and even applying to study abroad programs or internships. Also, professors will always have office hours, so when you need a little extra help with understanding something, go see them! They are there to help!

Student life

Go to the first football game!

Even if you don't like football, trust me, you'll have a blast. You'll find yourself surrounded by so much Sun Devil pride and spirit that it'll be impossible to not enjoy yourself. The experience is indescribable and it's just something that everyone should experience at least once!

Check out all the dining places that campus has to offer.

The Barrett dining hall is my favorite! You don't have to be an honors student to access the dining hall. The same goes for the residential dining halls, you don't have to live in the complex to access the dining hall.

Participate in the on campus events that interest you.

Throughout the academic year, there will be loads of things going on, like plays inside Gammage to the whitewashing of "A" Mountain at the start of the fall semester. Make sure to keep yourself up to date!