I was heavily involved in new-student orientation at a large university (45K+) in the US. The most important factor for new students is involvement. Many students fail or have trouble because they never get "plugged in" on any level. Go and research your colleges organizations - get involved in whatever interests you. Is there a freshman leadership program? Join it. Is there a society for biology majors? Join it. Do you like helping people? Check out new-student orientation programs, or other volunteer programs. The education you get outside of the class room is nearly as important as what you learn in the classroom when it comes to college. Learning how to work in teams and communicate effectively, learning how to lead and how to follow and support others - these are HUGE things that you can learn a lot about through student organizations.

I've seen an immense number of jobs stem from connections made in college through student organizations/volunteering/etc. Just join something; chess club, weight lifting team, anything makes a difference.

I know this not only from the classes/training I had in college retention, etc. but also from seeing it play out with my friends. Those friends of mine who got involved in some form or fashion almost all loved college, those friends of mine who joined no organizations and just did school then went home and played games or partied or whatever didn't like college so much and many dropped out.

So, my advice: GET INVOLVED! You won't regret it!