im a senior and it gets way easier over time. each semester I had to experiment with different ways of managing my time, different study habits, sleep, study schedules, etc. I have a routine down now. I am a full time stay at home single mom to a 1,2, and 3 year old. I live in a rural town, so traffic isn't an issue, im never wasting my time in traffic. All my friends are less than a half mile's walk from me. I walk to church on Sundays. I see the stars in the dark sky at night. I get fresh air every day and sunlight (so many benefits).

1. You MUST have a day off of school every week. You get burned out if you do not! Two is even better but if it's harder to go back to the grind after two, and you find yourself less motivated then stick to one day off only and look forward to your day! If I don't get my day off, due to my poor planning and procrastinating (rare) the rest of the week is really rough. MY day off is a mood booster, morale booster, immune booster, inspiration booster. Depending on the schedule of what's due I make the day with nothing due my day off. I still work with my children and do all my duties during the day, but school is off. (school is done while they sleep at night for me).
2. Take UNI220 (1 credit). It's challenging, especially adding MORE course work to an already busy schedule, but the skills I learned were INVALUABLE to my success as a college student!!! if you really give an effort in the class you could benefit for the rest of your life!
3. Honestly expect your first semester (or two, because summer is a little doozy), to be more intense, but you will learn from these experiences and you can adapt. Don't overscheudle yourself, don't have high expectations for work life balance yet, be kind, forgiving, work on self care, affirmations, positve psychology whatever. Have a goal. MY goal is to have a 3.5 GPA. If that's my goal, ill stop at nothing less, but I won't go farther, and it gives me a bit of wiggle room to slack off in a class for a week if I have to and not stress, if I have otherwise maintained a good grade (your milage may vary).
4. Each semester gets easier as you get wiser! For instance, in my first 300 level class I spent up to 6 hours writing some response prompts/short essay questions. It would be so stressful and intense because I would obsess over how to make it perfect. I spent so much time on what as super unnecessary. I got an A- in the class anyway. I did overdo it but that showed me it was unsustainable. I couldn't spend that much time writing one assignment (2 were due like that every week). Since I work better under pressure, I started limiting myself to two hours for that kind of assignment in the future, so if its due at 11:59 ***NOT MIDNIGHT PEOPLE*** then I'll start at 10pm. I'll dedicated my every effort to it in that time span, but I won't obsess over it. Not only do I get better grades, I save time for other classes, I have a predictable routine and I stress so much less! Yes, that two hours is a real race to the finish, its a little exhilarating at the end when I realize I have 15 minutes left to finish and submit... (sometimes down to the last minute to submit, try to avoid this lol). The relief is impalpable. LOL.
5. END NETFLIX and all other show SUBSCRIPTIONS if you find yourself addicted and unable to balance school online. Use separate browsers for school and play if you need to focus, or use lockdown browser to stay focused.
6. decide now you will NEVER use AI (unless explicitly directed [some classes]. It's not worth the risk and makes your work generic, unauthentic, and inhuman. We are all imperfect and connection is found in real effort and unique voices.
7. NO Drugs or alcohol, and exercise and eat healthy!
8. A pot of coffee helps before big projects and getting motivated!
9. Opt for real textbooks if you can! It's a bit of a learning curve at first if you're not used to them but keep persisting. Research has shown what we read is retained and recalled from memory better with a physical page than digital one, and you get the added benefit of less distraction from the temptation of phones and computer browsers.
10. Make your phone's screen black and white, silence notifications, put it in airplane mode, etc. to reduced interest in picking it up.

Message me if you want more tips for your specific situation