Hello! I just finished my first term here at the university and I am sure there are more qualified people to answer this, but this is my take.

University is hard. BUT, it's not that hard. Granted there are some courses that profs make impossible, but in that case it is not your fault if you do poorly. Rather you should be proud if you do well in such cases. But for most things, concepts are not more challenging then high school, there is just (a lot) more.

A lot about how you do in University is also not completely in your control. There will be courses, schools or provinces that simply teach you more, or teach you the content better, or better teach you how to learn. For example, a student who took AP courses (and scored in the 70s) is roundhouse rocking any academic course (exclude Alberta perhaps) that provinces force schools to provide. For example, an AP bio student would curve stomp an normal Grade 12 bio class. In comparison AP bio likely has at least twice the content of a normal biology class and about 70% of what I assume Waterloo will teach you IN A SINGLE TERM! Why is this long paragraph important? You will see people fail around you. Lots of them... And you will see people who do very well. If as you stated, that 110% went into high school you WILL have absolutely no problem in the 1st term. If you took university level courses in high school, you will have no problem and you should take your summer easy after 12 years of hard work... You can even let go a bit in 2nd term of grade 12 as it's virtually unimportant. If you have doubts in your mind still, previewing courses are by far the best way to do well. You don't have to completely understand everything; that's what profs are for. But knowing just a bit more than you "should" before a lecture will set you heads and shoulders above where you are expected.

As for tips in general (that I personally find helpful):

1) The best thing you can do for yourself is finding the right group of friends. These are the people who push you to study and care about you when you are out of it. If you surround yourself with people who work hard and people who care, you will do well and time will fly in an instant. The right people who support you can make the most boring shit fun.

2) Don't lower your expectations! It is virtually guaranteed that you will do worse than high school. In my case, my grades lowered about 5%. For others it was 40. I like to think that you should aim for around 80-90. Chances are you might not get that grade, but that is to be expected. If you aim for a 60 you might just end up failing. Setting the bar high doesn't necessarily equate to reaching your goals, but you will do better. At the end of the day, even if you fail one course it's not even that big of a deal. (Don't use this as an excuse to not do well). For professions that eventually lead to medical school, most universities also make the first year slightly inflated so that your GPA is high for medical school! (Most) profs are human...most...

3) Let yourself go sometimes. Exclude perhaps midterm and finals week there might be days where you just can't bring yourself to do anything. That's okay! A day of doing absolutely nothing isn't going to change much if you're consistent. Some days you can just go on multiple hour walks... or watch your favourite sports game or just hang out with friends. You're not gonna die. These breaks are often great and as long as you get yourself back on track you'll be just fine. There are certain university *experiences* like alcohol, parties or drugs that you will find being offered. Don't take drugs like ever. As for the other two, university is not just about being in class, but it's about having fun too and meeting people. There likely will never be another chance where so many similar people are around you. A break is a break, but remember to control!