Firstly, 100% yes on Ronda, and actually everything else you said but mostly Ronda. I think (I have yet to do it successfully) you can start netting positives in a few weeks. I found some NPCs that I think are key to working with that can and will help you begin to recover and make your university life easier. You do struggle quite a bit, but here is some hints:
1) Definitely do some of the odd jobs.
2) sometimes letting someone bully you can lead to them...still bullying you, but with benefits that will make you manage your game easier
3) Pick a stat to sacrifice at first and work with the others. I recommend will personally at first as energy and food is gonna give you way more options with both work and classes
4) don't skip Herindes' private council, she gives some of the best benefits in the game
5) There is probably gonna be more special rewards that will make surviving earlier
6) and most probably the most important tip of all: (also possible spoilers, this is me theorizing) Don't trust my previous tips completely. I found they work for *THIS* game, but *THIS* game is a prequel, and there is no "this guy" in the next part, or rather its a "new player" if Salia doesn't recon the lore. Salia is also a sadist, the things that make this game easier might also be (given who gives benefits, another hint if you will) might shape how some of the NPCs interact in the next part, and these "helpful" things might lead them to...well their crueler versions later. This is all theory though.