Freshman Tips

You stick out because of your lanyard and the life that is still visible in your eyes.

Before You Get Here
First off, congratulations on your admittance to Georgia Tech, one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the world. We hope that you're excited to come and join us, and we're excited to have you. That being said, we all understand. You don't have to clog up the subreddit page to let us know how excited you are, and if you do, you will likely be met with a barrage of downvotes. Fair warning.

In all of your excitement to join the ranks of Tech students, you might be looking at double-major/minoring, getting certificates, etc. Don't worry about that stuff until you actually start taking classes here. If, after your first semester or so, you still want to add to your single degree, try to find peers who have done what you're thinking about doing and ask for their experience. Every double major, major-minor pair is different, and they will all have different positives and negatives associated with them.

Rush
The first two weeks of school involved Rush for the various Fraternities and Sororities around campus. It is recommended that you do not give up on finding a house on the first night, as you will likely not get a good feeling for a fraternity on the first night. Try to visit as many different houses as possible. If you feel unwelcome or like you don't fit in at a certain house, don't waste your time trying to get a bid just because you feel like you have to be a member of XYZ. Don't try to join somewhere just because they are known for parties/drinking/sports/being smart/playing video games/whatever, and you think that that is what kind of fraternity you should be in. On the other hand, don't give up on a fraternity you like just because you don't get a bid the first night or two. If it seems like the brothers like you and they're inviting you back, stick with it. It can take several nights for enough people to meet you that they can make a decision.

TL;DR - Find somewhere where you fit in, the brothers like you, the fraternity shares your ideals (ask them about their ideals - they all love that), and you can see yourself spending 4 years of your life. Every house is different, yet there is normally a house for each type of person. Even if you think that Greek life is not for you, still go out to rush. Best case scenario, you find out that you do want to be Greek. Worst case scenario, you get free food and meet tons of new people.

Another opinion: I will agree that you should absolutely rush. The free food is good and will be much appreciated once you realize a week later that you're back to North Ave food for the rest of the semester. I had zero plans of pledging, still rushed, and bonded with new friends. I definitely didn't regret it. I know you're anxious but I would suggest holding off at least a semester but maybe even until the beginning of your second year to pledge (this is bad advice if you're serious about becoming integral to the fraternity and bonding well with your pledge class). I am very glad I didn't pledge anywhere freshman year simply because I have such a good understanding of the reputation and types of people in each fraternity now that if I wanted to join a fraternity, I'd be able to easily pick the right one for me. Also understand that the work load can be tremendous during the pledge period. I don't know first hand, but I can assure you all of my friends who went Greek had packed schedules the semester they pledged. Expect to be spending hours memorizing brothers names and birthplaces, running errands, and just overall devoting several hours a week to fraternity life.

The rule of thumb for pledging is that it is about the time commitment equivalent of taking a 3 credit hour class. While it depends on which fraternity you join (some are more intense, some are less), this is a good estimate.

For girls: because the number of girls enrolling at Tech are increasing, so has the competition to get into a sorority. Rush is pretty different for girls than it is for guys. Formal recruitment occurs during the week before the first week of school, and no lie, it is brutal for everyone. You will have to dress up in nice clothes and walk around in the hot Georgia weather to all of the houses and walk the walk as well as talk the talk. Like the guys, you will be expected to memorize a lot of history and generally be a pledge. If you plan to go Greek in your first semester or year, do not take a busy schedule. Expect that your sorority comes first and foremost of your extracurricular activities that semester.

In the Residence Hall
Brittain sucks. Woodruff also sucks. But you know what is good? Meeting your floormates. When it is dinner time or even lunch time, yell down the hall that you are going to go eat, and anyone is welcome to come along. This is why you, in Freshman Experience, have a meal plan. Also, LEAVE YOUR DOOR OPEN WHENEVER YOU ARE IN YOUR ROOM. This cannot be stressed enough, and nearly all freshmen who do this will say that their time spent in the residence halls was a blast, regardless of the building. Take the time to get to know your roommate too, even if you can't understand their accent.

In Class
First class of college is always a little bit scary at first, but then you realize it's not much different from your high school classes other than size, whether or not someone is being a distraction for the sake of distractions, and that you may not understand your professor at first. Despite this, it is recommended that you attempt to introduce yourself to your professor, no matter how intimidating they might be. It also doesn't hurt to introduce yourself to a few other students.

If you have a question during lecture, ask! If you don't understand something, there's a good chance others don't either. Professors may be smart, but they're not mind-readers, and they don't know whether you understand or not unless you speak up.

Try putting your laptop away. Unless it's required for class, it's more likely to be a distraction than a boon. Try taking notes the old-fashioned way with pencil and paper; it will really help you stay focused on the lecture instead of getting distracted by Facebook. Very few teachers care whether or not you're paying attention; you're only hurting yourself, not them.

Other
Now is also a good time to look into organizations and clubs. There are Freshman Leadership Organizations that target freshman leaders (hence the name). There are also plenty of other organizations that would love your involvement, and you are likely to find something that interests you (whether it be for sports, hobbies, politics, or religious groups). You will also be able to meet other freshman and upperclassmen who are more like you.

This can't be overemphasized. Clubs are a great way to build experience on your resume, and meet people with similar interests. You'll meet students from every grade, and they can be a great source of advice and knowledge about how to survive if you get to know them.

Just be careful not to go overboard: you probably don't have time for 6 clubs on top of your classes. Start with just 1 or 3, and see how you handle it. Some clubs really need your commitment to attend in order to be useful to you (and for you to be useful to them), and if you have to back out because you overextended yourself, it won't be good for you or them.

In Class
You will soon start having exams that you weren't prepared for. As such, prepare for them early. You need to develop time management skills, as well as various study habits that you'll want to use and develop further over your school career. Find a good location (many prefer the CULC and Library), some study partners, and Google will be your friend. Do not cram for tests. Do not cram for tests. In most classes, the tests will be anywhere from 40-80% of the grade, with the final exam making up another large part, and projects/labs/homework take up the rest (see note below).

Always do your homework. Even if you miss an assignment, still do it when you have time and before the next tests. Many professors like to use homework problems as test problems.

Just because you aren't required to go to every class doesn't mean that it's optional. Ask any upperclassmen or alumni and they will tell you the single best way to do well in college is to go to class. There are studies that support this - there is a strong correlation between class attendance and performance. You're already paying for it anyway.

Note: This is by no means universal, however, a common grading structure is 3 tests at 15-20% each, homeworks totaling 10-20%, and a final exam of 25-35%. This obviously excludes lab and project-based classes where those are given more weight. Some classes take attendance as part of your grade, most do not. Some classes have fewer/more than 3 tests, some don't have a final exam. It varies widely from class to class and professor to professor.