As a teaching assistant who is assigned mostly to first-year students, I am often dismayed by the behavior that walks in the door in the first semester. Here are a few more tips I would add, gleaned from a year watching first-year classrooms carefully:
– if you were able to skate through class in high school, don’t expect to do it in college! Professors know shoddy work when they see it. The standards are likely to be MUCH higher. Be serious about your work.

– Take your time with your writing; don’t write anything ten minutes before class. Finish every assignment at least the night before, so you can proofread it the next morning before turning it in.

– ALWAYS give your professor a draft of your paper to look over a week or two before it’s due. This is NOT “CHEATING,” it’s smart study behavior. She or he will usually give you a lot of feedback that will help your writing… and it’s likely to bump you up at least a letter grade just for making the effort.

– for heaven’s sake, don’t think you can send a text-message under your desk and not be noticed. Put that &*%$# gadget away!!!

– sit up front. You’ll be less likely to space out (or fall asleep!) during long classes.

– take notes, it communicates that you’re paying attention.

– Google your professors before you take their classes! Find out as much as you can about their area of interest or specialty. You’ll often find that you’re lucky enough to be taking a class with an expert in the field. BIG Bonus points: read their articles or books, and use them as reference sources when you have to write a paper.

– Of course everyone already knows this, but don’t even THINK about copy-pasting anything from the internet. If YOU can find it, so can your professor, and even the tiniest offense can get you kicked out permanently. Don’t risk it.

Happy studying!