Welcome to the fall semester, Ags! If you’re a freshman — and we assume you are, if you’re reading this article — welcome to Texas A&M! We here on the opinion desk have been braving the wilds of campus for years, and we see it as our duty to pass along some of our hard-earned knowledge to the next generation of Aggies.

Without further ado, please enjoy: What we wish we knew as freshmen!

Go to office hours

I know — office hours are scary. One-on-one with a professor when you know basically nothing about their subject? Terrifying. But what you might not realize is how much professors enjoy chatting with students. Most of them take this job because they like teaching — go talk to them! It doesn’t even have to be related to the class, though that’s a good place to start.

Use student discounts

So many places have student discounts! Saturday night movie showings for only $7? Yes, please! Museums will shave off 15–20% on entry fees, Spotify knocks a few bucks off with Student Premium, and even some restaurants will take 10% off your total. Take advantage of your student ID!

Start looking for apartments early

If you want to live in an apartment near campus, you need to sign your lease before your first winter break for the best rates. Apartments charge more as they fill up, so if you wait until the spring semester to start looking, rates will already be sky-high. Find your roommates and get that lease signed stat!

Carry an umbrella in your bag at all times

Even if it’s completely sunny without a cloud in the sky, even if the weather channel says no rain for two weeks, carry an umbrella in your bag. College Station has a funny way of springing storms on you when you least expect it — it’s best to be prepared, especially with thousands of dollars of tech in your backpack. And if you’re here from up north, get ready for the fattest, wettest raindrops you’ve ever seen.

The Aggie Network

The Network is the vast interconnected web of former and current Aggie students around the world. Use it to your advantage! Use the “Find an Aggie” program to locate Ags based on location, major or current job title. Last summer, I scored an internship by emailing a handful of Aggie lawyers in my area. Don’t be afraid to reach out to the 12th Man!

It’s okay to say no

At least for me, freshman year was all about getting as much of the college experience as possible. I joined far too many clubs, hung out with people I didn’t really like, and got barely any sleep all while killing myself striving for that 4.0 GPA. Let me tell you something to save you some time later: It’s okay to say no.

Charis Adkins is an English senior and opinion editor for The Battalion.

Sometimes it’s about understanding the class, not the content

Soon, you’re going to be faced with two paths of learning: Attempt to follow the haphazard, convoluted explanations of your professor in futility, or learn only what’s necessary for exams on your own. 

When you understand exactly two percent of your lecture but the exams are copy-pasted from the test reviews posted on Canvas, focus on the test reviews. If your homework assignments take an entire afternoon of 50-page readings but won’t even be on the exam, just skim the freaking textbook. 

Yes, knowing the 15-step derivation for a firm’s optimization formula is great, we get it. But why spend two hours trying to understand a process you don’t need when the formula will be given to you on a formula sheet anyway?

You have to become familiar with your professor’s teaching methods and class system; cut through their fluff and figure out the most efficient way to get to an A. If you’re an academic weapon like me, getting anything else is not an option. 

Treat your professors as human beings

When your intro classes have hundreds of students, it’s easy to put on some AirPods and find a nondescript seat somewhere in the back. But don’t get lost in the crowd, becoming a zombie like everyone else. If a professor asks a question, please try to answer. It’s not cool when a question as simple as “How are you?” is met with mind-numbingly apathetic stares in return. I certainly can’t handle rejection, but imagine being rejected 350 times over. God, I’d still be reeling. And I know getting a question wrong in front of your peers can be intimidating, but honestly, everyone’s stupid. So who cares?

There is no ‘right’ way to do college

My university experience has definitely not looked anything like the movies. Starting from day one, my first semester at A&M was in the spring. That meant no Fish Camp, no joining FLOs, women’s orgs or other popular clubs that only recruit in the fall, no friends from my NSC because they were all junior transfer students and no apartments unless I subleased.

I tried going to parties to make new friends, but it turns out introverted bookworms like me don’t really go to parties. I tried going to Northgate, but it turns out if you don’t drink, there’s not too much to do at bars. I tried rushing, but it turns out being reduced to how your Instagram looks and what shoes or jewelry you wear isn’t worth your self-esteem. 

Instead, I’ve spent my Friday nights volunteering with the sweetest foster kids, adopted crosswords into my personality, read more books in the past couple of years than in my whole life, made my first pen-pal with a TA, became a TA myself and found my home right here in the newsroom.

Don’t ever let what others are doing make you feel like you’re missing out; the only right way to do college is to do it your own way.

Isabella Garcia is an economics junior and assistant opinion editor for The Battalion.