Subscription 
Guidance towards adjusting to college life- 22-Jun-2012
A study reveals, stress level on colleges students have been rising steadily since 1985; 30 percent of freshers reported feeling overwhelmed (become filled with uncontrollable emotions); there has been a considerable raise in the number of students who seek some form of mental health counseling in the first year of college.
Many students have huge expectations of college before they make it to the dormitory. Most of these expectations are often an influence of movies and television or preconceived notions.
Many of the colleges fail to meet these expectations. Since, real life doesnt work as stories of TV or movies. For this reason, college life seems to be a disappointment. But you shouldnt become discouraged. Not every student immediately adjusts during the first few weeks or even the first semester and sometimes even after a year.
If you find its difficult to adjust to college life, youll need to give yourself some time, and keep the following in mind:
Be responsible with time:
For many students, college means more freedom. Along with this newfound freedom, responsibility follows. Being responsible involves being able to efficiently manage your time, which may seem easy in theory, but comes only through repeated mistakes. However, you may not be used to the amount of work that college professors expect. Apart from this, lots extracurricular activities are at hand to consider. If you take-on too many commitments, you may find yourself struggling to balance your commitment to school and your commitment to sports, clubs or other organizations you join.
It is very important to use a planner to help you stay organized. If you try to make time for your coursework ahead of schedule, probably it will be possible to find out the extracurricular activities you will be able to participate.
Important to keep an open mind:
Moving into a college, youre going to be in a new place, handling new situations. Maybe, you may have to live with someone youve never met before. You may be introduced to different types of people whom you may not have associated with during high school.
It is vital to keep an open mind, when dealing with these types of situations. Being open-minded may help you connect with different people and help you deal with situations better. College isnt just about learning facts and theories from textbooks. A large part of college life involves learning how to be an adult.
By being open minded, you may learn different things about other people or even about yourself, which may help you shape what type of an adult you become. Remember being open-minded doesnt mean you have to compromise your beliefs, feelings and rights. It involves being respectful and understanding of others.
Home is just a call away:
Its natural to feel homesick, if you are going away to a college for the first time for a long period of time. Although youre homesick, you may want to try to give your college campus a chance. Avoid being too pessimistic.
Certainly, your college may not be like your home. Maybe, you are less likely to have friends from your high school. For sure, your family may not be close to you especially at times when you are sick. Probably, lost your favorite restaurant, as you had to opt for the particular college. All these things may be true, but being at college certainly will provide you with the opportunity to experience new things.
And if things get too bad, home is only a phone call or instant message away. The family and friends you left behind will be just as happy to hear from you as you are to speak to them or get to you for any sort of help.
