Adjustment to College Life

For many first-year students, the School maybe their first experience living away from home for an extended period of time. It is definite break from home. The individual’s usual sources of support are no longer present to facilitate adjustments to the unfamiliar environment.

Here are tips for students which may provide realistic expectations concerning living arrangements and social life on campus.

1. The first few weeks on campus can be a lonely period.

There maybe concerns about forming friendships. When new students look around, it may seem that everyone else is self-confident and socially successful. But the reality is that everyone is having the same concerns. So try to associate yourself to others to gain more friends.

2. Increased personal freedom can feel both wonderful and frightening.

The strange environment with new kinds of procedures and new people can create the sense of being on an emotional roller-coaster. This is normal and to be expected.Students especially those coming from far places or provinces usually can feel this because they are already have the freedom to do things that they want to do. So it's both wonderful but at the same time frightening because a greater responsibility of their actions is tied with it.

3. Meaningful, new relationships should not be expected to develop overnight.

It took a great deal of time to develop intimacy in high school friendships; the same will be true to intimacy in college friendships. It will took time to make friends- a true friends.

4. Peer in the University/College to provide structure and a valuable support system in the new environment.

If they (you) allow sufficient time, students usually find peers in the university to provide structure and a

valuable support system in the new environment. The important thing for the student to remember in meeting

new people is to be oneself.

5. Living with roommates can present special, sometimes intense problems.

Negotiating respect of personal property, personal space, sleep and relaxation needs can be a complex task.

The complexity increases when roommates are of different ethnic/cultural background or even values you lean

at home might not be acceptable to the other. Communicating one’s legitimate needs calmly, listening with

respect to a roommate’s concerns, and being willing to compromise to meet each other’s most

important needs can promote resolution of issue.

6. It is unrealistic to expect that roommates will be best friends.

Roommates may work out mutually satisfying living arrangements, but the reality is that each may tend to

have his or her own circle of friends.

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7. University classes are a great deal more difficult than high school classes.

There are more reading assignments, and the exams and papers cover a greater amount of material. Instructors

expect students to do more work outside the classroom. In order to survive, the student must take

responsibility for his or her actions. This means the student needs to follow the course outlines and keep up

with the readings. Subjects are more complicated, so it needs a greater time to study.