Same. Where I went to school you tended to learn two things freshman year:
1- Broad concepts you can apply to anything: form composition, color theory, drawing, history of art, architecture, and design, concepts behind modern art and design movements… This stuff is invaluable to me now
2- how to work really REALLY hard! Blood sweat and tears type stuff! This helped get me where I am.
In a third category, I also learned grades don’t matter. No one cares about your grade, they care about your work.