Since I'm graduating in May, I thought I would share some of the unconventional pieces of wisdom I have gained in my four years as an undergraduate student studying electrical engineering and computer science.
1. Don't rely only on the resources you are given.
Regardless of major, college assignments are presented in the same way: a description of the task at hand is posted, perhaps with some recommended or related readings. It can be easy to assume that these recommendations are all that is necessary to finish your homework and that if something goes wrong, there is no possible recourse other than reaching out to someone on the teaching team with questions. Although an understandable plan of attack, this isn't the best way to handle things. To get to the point, don't be afraid to Google. Don't conflate that tip with an urging to search out a solution guide online. Instead, it's guidance to see if anyone on StackOverflow has had the same error message as you while you were troubleshooting your Python file or if there's a New York Times article that details the nuances of a political event.
2. There is no one "college experience."
As with anything that is surrounded by considerable hype, there is a lot of pressure to do college the so-called "right way." In theory, this is some specific combination of x% studying, y% partying, and z% seeking out new experiences.
However, in actuality, there is no one formula for the "college experience." Your experience is your experience, so do the things and make the choices that most serve you. For me, that involved working with Yale Scientific Magazine, doing fulfilling social robotics work in a lab, volunteering, meeting other fascinating people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), taking advantage of school breaks to travel, and attending as many on-campus Google events as possible.
3. It is up to you to decide what is your top priority.
This applies to almost any context, not just college, but in a university setting, you will be told by almost every group you come into contact with that what they need you to do should be your "top priority." Your English paper: top priority. The engineering lab report: top priority. Volunteering over the weekend: top priority. It's up to you to determine where to devote most of your time and energy in a given day, as these are limited resources. Think about what your goals are, what you want to get out of your experience, and how you can best increase your potential to make a significant, positive impact on the world.
4. Determine what study schedule works best for you.
In certain industries, and in college, exhaustion is worn as a badge of honor. People brag that, "I pulled an all-nighter three times last week" and receive praise, while those who try to sleep eight hours a night might feel they aren't working hard enough. Viewing sleep deprivation as something to be proud of ignores biology. The body needs sleep, plain and simple, so it's crucial to find ways to structure your day in a manner that allows for this. Maybe you work most efficiently when you have a full day to hunker down in the stacks of the library and work through readings and papers. Alternatively, perhaps having a workout or outing with friends scheduled in the evening provides the motivation to work most efficiently during the day.
5. For the love of everything, don't back up your photos to your university account.
If your university email account is based on Gmail, it can be tempting to back up photos on your phone and laptop to Google Photos. Great idea, but back them up to your personal Google Photos account. Otherwise, as photo album ownership can't be transferred in the way Google Drive folder ownership can be, you will find yourself, right before graduation, manually going through the process of downloading photos from your university account and re-uploading them to your personal account.