College: Ready or Not?

When we think about our first day of Freshman year for college, it can be a lot to take in at once. Figuring out where to go so we’re not late for the first day of class, wondering if we’ll know anyone if we chose somewhere close to home, or even if we’ll be able to pass what the future holds in store for us.

We all share the same fear in one way or another when we are entering a new area that may seem unfamiliar to us. According to an article from Research.com in October of 2020, 40% of students in the United States admit they are homesick, as well as one in four students accuse the lack of sleep on their academic performance, causing them to achieve lower grades and miss deadlines.

Image Description: Girl stressing out about classes.

Common Fears amongst College students

There are quite a variety of fears and stresses that are rather common amongst every college student, rather they admit to it or not to themselves or others. An example of this situation could be that a female between the ages of 17-19 experiencing her first week before classes start. She walks in and sees that her roommate has already gotten herself situated within the room, but they have not met yet. She could be afraid that her roommate might snore loudly, might dislike her, or they might not even share anything in common.

Other common fears amongst college students:

• Not having a high enough GPA to advance forward into newer classes or those that are needed.
• Not having enough money for food and gas after the prices of tuition.
• How can I adjust my schedule to have fun and free time apart from my assignments? #doublelife

Source: Conquering 13 Common College Freshman Fears

Image Description: Group of friends smiling and enjoying time together.

Responses from Gulf Coast State College

Listed within this section are personal responses from people who have chosen the opportunity to talk about how their freshman year went with the struggles of a new area. A majority of these are conflicting while others are more positive.

“When I first came here back in 2017, I think I honestly was a bit nervous, but I can’t remember. That negative feeling of not having anyone around that I would know and see didn’t seem to progress itself further because some of my closest friends were there right beside me in math class.”

-Autumn B.

“Oh, God. Flashback to 2018 when I was a freshman/dual enrolled, I didn’t know what to think. I was homeschooled for a majority of my life, so it wasn’t just the social scene that made me nervous, but along with that was being in such a different environment than the public school system.”

-Donna H.

“Any upper-level schooling can be a very difficult challenge. I can think back to when I was a freshman, listening to rock music to help distract myself away from all the fears that would soon be headed in my direction. I never really thought further ahead, but just in the moment and the moment always seemed like I wouldn’t be able to fit in with any of my peers.”

-Emily K.

Overcoming Freshman Fear

The question I’m sure we’ve all been waiting to hear is: How do I overcome the fear of being a freshman in college? At a few different colleges, especially those from my own personal experience, Orientation is a mandatory concept that every student has to partake in to succeed to becoming an official college student. As explained above in an earlier section about the topics of what students fear, these are what students should do in order to conquer their fears:

• Get to know your professors and peers/roommates.
• Find a map of the school campus so you know exactly which is the best route for you to get to where you need to go.
• Find that blissful balance in your life because you don’t belong to two different worlds, it’s the same world, just you’re experiencing a new part of life.

Source: Your First Year of College: 25 Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive in Your Freshman Year

Image Description: Two students looking over a computer, trying to decide which assignment to start with.

Closure

I do hope that you have enjoyed reading this article, no matter what stage of college you’re in. If you plan on going to grad school in the future, you can reflect back onto this article because you may seem like you are a Freshman all over again. From what I’ve been told, Graduate School is a whole different ball game where I will be attending next year and can see my future self looking back here and saying, “You don’t have to listen to those negative statistics, be on the winning side.”

We all have fears and stresses in our life about upcoming future events that are going to be with us for the rest of our lives. Our experiences make us who we are as a person and it’s healthy to understand rather than hide behind or procrastinate about doing what we’re supposed to do. Put yourself out there. I promise you it’s not as scary as it might appear to be.

With everything said and done, make sure to catch me for my next article “Courses: To Take or Not To Take” where I will be discussing what classes might be the right suit for you depending on your major and any changes to courses that are happening.