For some, freshman year of college is an exciting step towards independence, but not everyone has such a smooth beginning. Freshman year is the first transition from living at home to independence and adulthood. With such a huge transition, it is natural to experience stress, frustration, or even mental health issues. Many freshmen forget during their first semester that they are not alone. The campus is full of people who are willing to help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All professors were college freshmen once, and most are always willing to help a student. For example, a McMurry professor many freshmen would recognise is Dr. David Wahl. Dr. Wahl teaches the freshman seminar class, and I was interested to hear what the biggest struggles he has seen incoming freshmen face are. According to him, adjusting is a very common struggle. Meeting expectations, like managing time, keeping track of assignments, asking for help, and making decisions, all without the structure that high schoolers have, is hard. Everything can be very difficult to balance, especially if a student is battling homesickness as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a student, my freshman year was awful because I was so overwhelmed by my newfound responsibilities. Mrs. Beth Lawrence, an English professor and the Writing Skills Coordinator in charge of the Writing Center, explained why. According to her, in high school, teachers carry much of the academic responsibility, including providing make-up work, tracking down missing students, notifying parents of issues, etc. In college, all of that is passed onto the students, all while they are learning how to live away from home (usually with a stranger)for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because of all these new responsibilities, it is important to build a schedule that sets you up for success. When asked how freshmen can balance social life and schoolwork, both Dr. Wahl and Mrs. Lawrence emphasizes building a routine that both protects and reinforces academics and social life. This means putting classes, study time, meals, sleep, and a few social activities on your calendar so you don\u2019t forget. Another piece of advice Dr. Wahl offered was to be wary of saying yes to every invitation. In fact, according to Dr. Wahl, this was the best advice he received going into grad school. He states, \u201cYou have to learn to say no. Social connection matters, but it should fit alongside your responsibilities rather than routinely replacing them. If your schedule leaves no room to rest, or your coursework keeps slipping, adjust it and ask for guidance.\u201d Mrs. Lawrence recommends taking a minute every weekend to look at the class Canvas for each course and write out what you need to work on during your study time that week. Doing this ahead of time will prevent last-minute panic over a forgotten test or assignment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, no matter how perfect a student’s schedule is, the best thing they can do is use the resources provided for them. According to Dr. Wahl, most students who come to him for help seem to be unaware of the multitude of resources available. Students have to take care of themselves as well as learn; programs like the TRIO support services, tutoring services like the Writing Center or the Learning Hub, the Counseling Center, the wellness services offered, and resources available from Religious Life can help you do both. When it comes to the tutoring services provided, many students won\u2019t show up until an assignment is due, but Mrs. Lawrence points out how \u201cwriting tutors can help students with every step of the process\u2014understanding the prompt, idea generation, drafting, revision, and editing.\u201d They can also help with research, citations, and formatting. For students unaware of how to start an assignment, making a quick stop by the writing center could lighten that load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the end of the day, if a student is struggling academically or emotionally, staying silent will fix nothing. Adjusting to college is hard, but there are campus resources and professors that are more than willing to help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n