Getting admitted to a university is a matter of excitement for almost all the students. The transition to university life is a big one, but it comes with a lot of challenges.

For most students, it’s the first time they’re living away from home and managing their own time, money, and life. So to smoothly adapt to your university and new life. All that independence also means you’re vulnerable to some traps.

Here are a few skills that will make you better prepared for the big shift ahead.

– Time Management

“How to manage others is a valuable skill, especially as you advance in your career, but we often overlook the skill of self-management,” says Ransom Patterson, editor-in-chief at collegeinfogeek.com. “Managing yourself is what much of ‘productivity’ advice is really about.”

In schools, we spent most of our day in the classroom or coaching centers or private tutors, following a rigid schedule. But in university, you will likely spend less than one-third of that amount of time actually in your classes and study.

You won’t have people there to remind you it’s time to go to class, study, do laundry, or even when to eat and sleep.

While at first it can seem like you have tons of free time, once you get yourself enrolled into academics, extracurricular commitments, and a work-study job, you will see that taking control of your time is crucial.

Prepare yourself while you are still in school by practicing prioritizing your responsibilities and balancing various commitments.

Experts suggest learning to keep a reliable calendar and set reminders. Find a system that works for you, whether it’s an online resource, app, or your own combination of old-school and digital tools. Managing your time also requires discipline and self-awareness, which you can’t get from an app. Ultimately, it’s about being accountable for taking care of yourself and your responsibilities.

– Goal Setting

Whether they are academic, career, or personal, writing down your goals can help make them feel more real, and sketching out a plan for achieving them can give you a roadmap to success.

When setting goals, remember that they should be attainable but not too easy, so that you really have to push yourself to achieve them, and feel accomplished when you do.

– Interpersonal Skills

Good communication skills, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and leadership are just a few of the interpersonal skills that will serve you well in university and throughout your career and life.

At your campus, you will interact with fellow students, instructors and professors, landlords, coworkers, and many more.

Strong interpersonal skills will help you build relationships during this time, and get more out of them.

“Even the most introverted need to interact with other people once in a while,” notes Robert Farrington, founder and CEO of The College Investor. “Like time management, while being social comes naturally to some people, the good news is that it is a very learnable skill.”

If you feel that your interpersonal skills need some work, practice asking thoughtful questions and listening well, develop empathy by “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes,” and bolster your self-confidence.

• Networking

You might think of networking as something you do after university, when you’re looking to land your first job. And its true that networking is an important aspect of building and advancing your career.

But, you don’t have to wait until after university (or even until it starts) to begin. Your college peers may end up being some of your most important connections,

So, learn how to introduce yourself with professional social media sites such as LinkedIn to help organize and maintain your contacts in your chosen field.

• Studying

With fewer in-class hours and more on-your-own learning, university requires you to really engage in material- and on a deeper level than simply memorizing facts. You’re going to be learning new information and concepts at a faster rate than ever before.

To be successful in university you will need to learn how to take effective lecture notes, read and synthesize large amounts of information, study for tests, do outside research, write papers, and seek assistance from professors and teaching assistants.

Forget about choosing extracurricular activities simply to pad your resume. Participate in activities that you are truly passionate about and you will make a difference.

Know your limits both academically and socially. Don’t forget, you have four years to try everything and anything you’d like.

Organization is key, so if you are not someone who is naturally organized, think about how you will set up your study schedule and space.

The earlier you start studying, the happier you will be.

• Budgeting

Learning to manage money is a critical life skill for everyone, and for many people, university is the first time that they develop it. Think of a budget as a plan for your money. Start by estimating your income and expenses. Then prioritize your expenses and determine how much money you will need to set aside every month to cover those costs.

Don’t forget about savings… and the fun stuff (movies, hanging out, tours), too.

• Be Open to Change

Chances are, something will go wrong while you are in college.

Do not let a fear of change or failure keep you from branching out and trying new things. Now is your time to be curious and explore!

Often times, the mistakes you make in college will lead to some of the most beneficial lessons you will ever learn.

Embrace your mistakes and learn from them.

Go at your own pace. You will get to know more people as you take more classes and try new things; the relationships that last usually develop over time, not overnight. If you prioritize your studies, keep yourself healthy, and allow yourself to have some fun as you go, you’ll be establishing skills that will help you succeed in college and in life.