College freshman Hannah Holmes discusses the new stresses of college life and offers advice on how to handle pressure:

Anybody who’s in school now will have to agree with me; pressures abounds.

There’s pressure from professors. Do these fifty questions, read this thirty page chapter, and pass this exam, all this week, all in one class. There’s pressure from friends; as a freshman, my first important task was to make friends. Once I had accomplished that, the next task was to keep the friends. Help them out when they need it, because I might need the same, spend time with them, be the kind of person they want to hang out with. There’s pressure from the family; whether they’re tough on you or (like my extremely wonderful parents) supportive, they still want you to succeed at this university that they’re, in all likelihood, at least helping to pay for. And a phone call every night wouldn’t hurt either. There’s the pressure to get involved on campus, to be doing something, separating yourself from the pack; in all your “spare time.” For me and some others, there’s also the pressures of a job; my employers ask occasionally how classes are going, but I’m not sure how fully they recognize that the job is, by far, not the only thing I do… and that I don’t get a day off.

Whether you have more or less than I do going on in your college life, chances are pretty good you’ve felt stressed at one time or another. You’ve probably had a day where you needed to be five different places at once. Or spent three hours on chemistry homework and still didn’t understand a word of it. The question is, how does one stay sane? Here are some things I’ve been doing. They may help you, they may not, but they’ve helped me.

Even though I don’t get a day off, I always make an effort to schedule down time into my day. Even on my craziest days, I have to have some time that’s sacred for relaxation. For example, I don’t think I’ve yet studied through a meal. It may only be fifteen minutes of wolfing down a sandwich, but I always read for fun or hang out with friends while I eat, even when I don’t really have time to. I’m not going to be able to get very far without eating, and the same goes for relaxing. I have to have pressure free times, when I forget about the things I have to do, and all the people I have to please, even myself. For me, taking a walk makes a great study break. The exercise, of course, is good for you, and it’s a time to kind of escape, to spend some alone time (or catch up with a friend) and catch up with you (or someone else). Part of successful studying is knowing when to stop, to walk, watch a T.V. show, or SLEEP! That’s another thing I’ve refused to sacrifice. I know some people who don’t seem to need sleep, but I find I’m at optimal functioning capability if I get a square eight hours. And when I’m awake, I almost always have my iPod in my ears. It helps keep me sane; when life is getting to be a little too much, I jam my headphones into my ears, put on a happy song and blast the volume. Suddenly, it’s a lot easier to have a positive perspective. And a positive perspective makes everyday, no matter how crazy, livable. When you find yourself in a place where you feel like you need to laugh or cry, always choose to laugh. It’s definitely the best alternative.

Well, I’m off to chemistry and biology, where new pressures await me… but then I’m coming back to my room to watch my favorite show for a blissful pressure free hour!

For more stories from students themselves, check out the archives for previous columns in The Freshman Experience.

Educated Nation writes that UniversitiesAndColleges.org has compiled a "be-all end-all" list of free online college courses. These aren't degree-granting programs, but they're a great way to embark on or continue your intellectual journey, whether you're a high schooler who wants a glimpse into what college coursework is like or a graduate eager to expand your knowledge. Have a specific subject of interest? You can select from subjects such as History or Business and Economics. Want a taste of the Ivy League? Yale puts lecture videos of introductory courses online.

Here are some of the fantastic educational options available on the web:

• Stanford University offers downloadable courses and lectures that can be played on your iPod.

• Aspiring music students can get instruction through the Berklee School of Music's free music lessons.

• Check out business school by sampling classes from MIT's presitigious Sloan School of Management.

• MIT, the top tech school in the country, also has a considerable number of free undergraduate course materials.

• Study abroad just became free with podcasts and lectures from the UK's University of Nottingham.

For these awesome choices and many more, check out the full list here.

College freshman Hannah Holmes shares her first impressions of college and gives readers advice on how to avoid getting overwhelmed:

Walking onto my college campus for the first time felt surreal. Since my junior year, I’d been wondering, worrying, and waiting for college. But for all the hours of thought I’d put into it, I really had no idea what to expect. I think that was what had me the most freaked out over the last few weeks before college.

Somehow, it wasn’t nearly as hard as I expected. There was no explosion, no earthquake; my life did not drastically alter in an instant. Well, I guess in a way it did, but there was no pain associated with it. By the time my parents left, I was ready for them to, even though I’d been anxious about that moment for a long time. I was through with all of the lasts I’d been going through at home; last time spending a Monday afternoon with this friend, last time taking my dog on a walk with my dad, last time…. fill in the blank. But once I got on campus, the firsts began. First meal in the cafeteria, first night in my dorm, first time meeting this person, first time walking to class… It was exciting, an adventure. I guess I was pleasantly surprised, but maybe it’s hard to be surprised at all when you don’t know what to expect.

I was worried about making friends. I realized after my first few minutes on campus that that was silly. I was in a place surrounded by thousands of people around my age, with a million different interests. We’re all pretty much trapped here together, more or less, with no one but each other for company. There’s always someone to talk to, and who knows if it will be a friendship that lasts through the hour until my next class or through graduation?

I was worried about being homesick. Of course, I am sometimes. I miss my mom’s cooking, I miss being with my family, I miss little bits and pieces of the life I led for eighteen years. However, at the same time, I’m very much enjoying this new stage of my life. I talk to my parents everyday- most of the other freshman I talk to do, too. Everyone’s a little homesick.  Although, my college kept us too busy during orientation to think about it much. It was a whirlwind of meetings, classes, icebreakers, projects, and introductions to the college lifestyle. It got a little old after the first couple of days, but I would definitely encourage anyone to try and get us much out of their Orientation as they can, whatever it’s like. It’s sure to be a fantastic opportunity to meet people (who may be as sick of orientation stuff as you) and figure out how to get involved on campus, which can be a little overwhelming at first. Remember, everyone either is in the same boat as you or has been in the not too distant past (other than your professors, of course).

For me, getting used to college has been mostly about perspective, the good old glass-half-full vs. glass-half-empty mentality. If you focus on all the difficult things that happen, like how you got lost going to your first class, and you can’t work the code on your mailbox, and you have way more reading to do than is physically possible, you’ll probably lose your mind and everything will very quickly start to seem very overwhelming. But if you focus on the good things, like how you got out of that lab early, or chilled with your suitemates for an hour in their room, or how pleasant the long walk to that class is, you start to see that college life is kind of fun, and you can balance work and having a good time and enjoy this unique new time in your life.  

The most important factor in college admissions is the strength of your academics. That means more than just grades; it also takes into account the rigor of the classes you took. Straight A's in bowling and finger painting aren't going to get you into Yale. Often times, getting a B in a hard class looks better than getting an easy A. Admissions officers are after applicants who challenge themselves by taking Advanced Placement classes.

Just how important are the APs in college admissions and why should you take them? These experts give their thoughts:

• Robert Bardwell of "Guidance Office" says, "The score of the actual AP test is not as important as the fact that the student took the AP class and what grade he earned. This is particularly true for a senior whose test score will not even be seen by the admissions committee."
• Dean Flagel at Not Your Average Admissions writes, "If you think a course will be so awfully difficult that not only will your grade go down in that course, but also in your other courses, you do need to think about how much that will impact your overall admission chances ... You should try picking courses because they interest and challenge you, and not just to get into a school."
• Babs at Campus Compare says, "The real end-goal of an AP course is to get college credit before you even apply to college. Sure, they look good, but you’ll also save possibly thousands of dollars and the boredom of taking 'Bio 101' or 'Intro to American History' with 300 of your “closest” friends."