Tips and advice for a young college student majoring in (astro)physics?

[salsalover12]

Hello, I'm majoring in physics and I'm starting my first physics course next semester. I'm pretty scared and I don't know what to expect. So I just wanted to know what I can start working on and what should I expect.

 

[Lord_Sidious]

I would say mechanics (motion and energy), rotation, gravitation, harmonic motion, waves, fluids and elementary thermodynamics.

 

[seaofghosts]

There are tons of open courseware videos and online resources you can use to preview what you'll likely be studying. MIT has the best selection, IMO: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/ Even just reading a few syllabi should give you a good idea of things you might want to look into before the class starts.

Also, I would suggest signing up for APS. The first year (or maybe more, I don't remember) is free for undergrad students. It gives you access to full papers and you can choose sections on astrophysics, where you can find all kinds of cool resources that will keep you up to date on what's going on in the physics/astronomy community.

I'm also starting my physics degree this fall and plan on grad school for astrophysics. :) Good luck! (If you have FB or LinkedIn and want to network, let me know!)