I had sophomore standing during my first year as well. During my first year I still took general education courses (history 101 for example) and took some 200 level courses in my major; which was where most of my AP’s were applied anyway. You’ll have to take your general education at some point anyway. I actually had to put some of it off because the coursese I needed for my major were only offered certain semesters and to graduate on time I had to take them when they were offered. So I’m going into my last semester and most of my courses are general education courses. Some departments have checklists so you can figure out when you want to take certain courses. Also, sometime before your second semester try to find if there are certain courses only offered certain semesters. You can ask one of your professors in the department of your major. This is, of course, if you’ve chosen a major. This just allows you to plan ahead a little.

As for the freshman 15… when I came to college I was overweight but ended up losing 40 pounds during my first year of college. Part of it was the fact that I just walked around campus a lot and was involved in more activities than during high school. Another part of it was that the food at my school is rated among some of the best in the country and is pretty healthy. It really depends on your lifestyle. I’ve known people who lose weight, people who gain weight, and others that just stay the same weight.

You should be able to manage as long as the job is something like 10-15 hours a week. Even if it’s a bit more than that, you should be able to manage, but you’ll probably be stressed out a lot and won’t get so much of the “college experience.”

I didn’t gain any weight my first year. That came later. 🙂 Just remember that with the all-you-can-eat buffets that most dorms have, you can go back for seconds if you’re still hungry, but you will almost always eat whatever you take. That and play intramural sports or something so you get enough exercise.

Regarding taking advanced classes – it really depends. Think of a 5 on the AP as being like an A, a 4 like a B, and a 3 like a C. If you got a credit for a 3 on an AP Test in some subject, you might want to consider repeating that course if it’s important to your major. E.g. if you’re an engineering student and you got a 3 on AP Calculus or Physics, you might want to take calculus again because it will be the foundation of a lot of what you do the rest of the time you’re in school. If you got 5’s, then take the advanced classes.

As for other advice – make sure to find time just to relax and hang out. Too many students these days are putting too much pressure on themselves both to be successful and to “have fun.” For me, a lot of my best memories were just sitting around in the dorm lounge staying up until all hours talking with people or doing silly things.