Note-taking - Take notes in class then write them up within 24hrs. That way you still have it fresh in your memory and it helps commital to long-term memory by re-writing it.

Background read before you go in - You'll have an idea of what they'll be covering so you wion't struggle to keep up. Any decent college should have an online portal/VLE of some kind that should have subject specific resources such as ebooks and journals that you can search through chapters. it's well worth playing around for an hour or 2 at the start of the year, discovering how it works because it will be a godsend down the road.

Dissertations/MIAs - they should have previous years copies for perusal in a library - ask your lecturer or it might be on their VLE/portal. Have a read of previous year so you can get an idea for laying them out and what kind of content you should include. Start planning in your head now about the specific study of your paper so that you can research around it. Furthermore make it something you are passionate about as it will help spur you on!

Time management - make sure you start your assignements the day you get them, even if its the into, then work on completing a bit more everyday.
Aim to get them there 24hrs early to allow for fuck -ups printing because most places won't accept if your 1 minute late.
You should be given an assessment& assignement schedule - transfer this to a callendar/planner on the wall - it's visual and you can plan out when you can start and when you should finsih them to allow time for the next assignment.

Oh and buy the main course textbook for the year - there's nothing worse than paying late fines or fightin with some chode in the library over a book!