These are 3 tips I'd love to have known 4 years ago, at 18.

⚡ The one thing you should aim for in university...

Make yourself as uncomfortable as possible.

You've only had 18 years of lived experience, so you don't really know what you want at this point. During your first year at university, you're going to feel anxious and scared. In fact you're going to cling to family and friends that feel familiar to you.

Right now, don't worry about grades. Instead, your singular mission should be to try and adventure into everything that's unfamiliar. That means doing things that feel uncomfortable:

• Talking to random people at university
• Going to as many university events as possible
• Trying sports and societies that you don't know much about

What does this come down to? When you see an opportunity, say yes 9 times out of 10.

(Saying no to things happens when you're older, more experienced & successful, and the opportunity cost of a 'yes' is much greater)

🎮 Gamify your life

Remember how you put hundreds of hours into Pokémon, Mario Kart, and Call of Duty? Well, real-life can be just as fun and stress-free if you treat it like a game. Whether it's schoolwork, sport, friendships, income, or programming, ask yourself:

• 'Why do I want to play this game?'
• 'What does it mean to win this game?'
• 'What quests must I complete to level up in this area of my life?'

... then reward yourself for taking action and levelling up!

🤔 Ask 'Why?' until you get to the real answer

You have a lot of questions concerning purpose, morals, and how to navigate your life. You also have a lot of assumptions because you've grown up with a limited set of experiences, conditioned by your parents, your peers, your religion, your location and more.

Always think for yourself. Never delegate thinking to another person (even someone you look up to) or to a specific ideology or set of societal values. If you don't question your conditioning (i.e. your personal status quo), you live life based on what other people want, not what you want. Years will pass as you live life on someone else's terms. When you realize this, you'll generate regret and pain when you see that you have not been true to yourself.

To really understand something you must deconstruct it into its most basic principles (first principles thinking). To do this, ask yourself 'Why?' you hold a certain opinion, or 'Why?' an academic concept works. Keep asking 'Why?' until you reach something you know certain to be true.

Here's an example that you may come across. You have come to a talk in a lecture hall, given by an accomplished professor that you admire. The talk has ended, and you'd like to meet the professor and chat with him. However, you feel scared to do so:

Idea: 'Meeting someone that you admire for the first time can be nerve-racking'

Why is it nerve-racking?

'You're uncertain if they'll like you or reject you'

Why is that important?

'You feel bad if that person doesn't like you or rejects you'

What does it feel bad when this happens?

'For much of human history, we lived in smaller, tribe-like communities. If someone senior in the tribal hierarchy didn't like you, you could be ostracized, left behind, or killed. Our psychology developed so that we were more conscious of our standing and perception within the community.'

Analysis: In today's society, most people are welcoming and patient. Even if someone you admire forms a bad opinion of you, your survival is unlikely to be threatened. You should take every chance to connect with people you admire as they may teach you something new.

^^ This might appear as a weird, specific example. But you can apply first principles thinking to great effect when dealing with academic and philosophical concepts.