Ah, the anxiety issues which crop up with college age students, whether they be traditional freshman (straight from high school) or the returning “older” student – the anxiety level is still the same. Will I fit in? Will I find that group of friends I have so long been seeking? Will I be able to keep up with the course load and the work? The questions are endless and the answers, well they equally as endless.
For the traditional college freshman, leaving the security of high school (whether they were popular or not), moving on to “greener” pastures and new living arrangements, leaving the parents behind, their friends going off in all directions, the thought is both exciting and daunting. Roommates are equally as scary – worrying about being matched up with the wrong people, having to share space with someone other than family, eating in a large dining hall and will I be alone or will there be someone to talk to? All of these things go through a freshman’s head. Not to mention the class selection, especially for those undecided upon a major – what to take, what is a waste of time and effort, what professors are good and who are those to avoid? Again, endless questions with the ever creeping self doubt. But not to worry, we all seemed to have survived and so will our children and their children. It is just a matter of allowing time for adjustment, but unfortunately today there are pills for that and pills for this and our children are not left to their own devices but to crutches which allow them to become even more distressed. But not to worry, it seems by the end of the first term/semester most freshman have adjusted and those who have not are back home and rethinking their options for the future
But as time goes by and years pass other anxieties occur – Will I pick the right major? Will my GPA be enough to get me into a good graduate school? Will I attain employment upon graduation? The anxiety just doesn’t end. My friends, this is the entry into what I like to call “LIFE.” In my opinion college is just the prelude to life as we know – a beginning of becoming a responsible adult and suffering the consequences of our actions. Funny how we all managed to survive those years and can laugh about them now. Unfortunately, in looking back on my own experiences and looking to the present on the experiences of my college age son, nothing has changed – it is all in how you perceive things. Pace yourself, try not to take things too seriously and keep an open mind and an OPEN book. The partying will be there long after the studying has occurred. To keep the anxiety level low keep your eye on the prize – graduation and fulfillment of a lifelong commitment to the future.
For those of you “late bloomers” returning to the classroom in your middle years, the anxiety level is there but on a different level. Can I compete with people half my age? The answer is absolutely YES. You are now wiser, more settled, more worldly and more than likely know exactly what direction in which you are headed. You actually have the leg up here. As for acceptance – do you really want to be accepted by these kids? I think not. It is nice to get along with them in the classroom, but frankly the only thing you have in common is attaining the elusive college degree and being in competition for that coveted employment position, where in my opinion, the playing field is level. The person with the best credentials receives the position.