Most schools have general core course requirements that students must complete before they can graduate and some that they must complete before they can move on to more advanced courses in their major. It's best to start getting these courses out of the way as soon as possible. This way you have time to fit these courses into your schedule at the times you want to take them, without having to overload your schedule.
Try to create a balanced course load when making your schedule. Don't take too many humanities courses at once, such as literature, history or philosophy, because these tend to be heavy on reading and writing assignments. It's also not a good idea to take too many math and science courses at once, because professors in these disciplines often give students long, involved problem sets as homework assignments.
Although it's nice to have your books ahead of time so you can get started on homework right away, it can help to wait until after the first class to buy them. Sometimes after you get to class your professor will tell you that buying the book is optional, or that an older edition of the textbook is sufficient for the course material that you will be covering. This can end up saving you lots of money, because college textbooks can be very expensive.
Visit your professor during his office hours if you have questions about the course material. Office hours are designated times during which a professor commits to being in his office each week, so students can stop by and get help with any concepts they aren't quite grasping. This chance to have a private tutoring session with your professor can be helpful, so take advantage of this time if you need it.
Though attendance is not always mandatory in college classes, it's very important to go to them. You learn valuable information in class that you can't always make up for by just reading the textbook. Professors put information from their lectures on tests, give surprise quizzes and hand out homework assignments in class. If you aren't there to receive this information, your grade will suffer.