College Freshman!! Start Off on the Right Foot

College Freshmen!!   Start Off on the Right Foot!

by Ann Rossbach, Independent Educational Consultant

You’ve  attended your first dorm floor meeting and talked to your roommate about what to keep in the room fridge.  You even bought your books.  So, what’s next?  

Lots, actually –  here’s some of what you may experience those first months away at  school.  Knowing what to expect can help you to be prepared in advance.

Many factors combine to make this an exciting and challenging time.  Your workload may be heavier than you have experienced ever before – even if you ARE well prepared.  Keep in mind that for every hour of class time you may be expected to put in two hours of outside work.  (so that’s  what you should be doing with all those spare hours!)  Writing, too, can be a challenge, as college professors’ expectations can be high.  During that first week of school, locate the writing center on your campus.  Most are staffed with not only peer tutors but sometimes graduate students and teaching professionals as well. As you may need an appointment, check the hours and procedures before you need the help the night before the paper’s due!

Most semesters are 15 weeks long, so read through your syllabi from your courses and note when the heavy reading and writing assignments are due.  Interestingly, week four of the semester is when students start to struggle.  Everything goes along smoothly without much effort and then, Wham!  Some of this may be in the form of a big assignment or project. Midterm exams usually occur in late October, so get in front of your reading!  Most importantly, get to know your professors by stopping by during office hours.  Simply commenting, “I was thinking about your point in today’s lecture,” can be the start of a great relationship with what may be a favorite professor. 

Your social life can be a challenge as well.  All that freedom (no one telling you NOT to go out on Tuesday and Thursday nights . . . .) can flip on you.  Before you know it, you are behind in assignments and sleeping through morning classes.  You’ll want to be making new friends, so join an event, club or intramural team right away.  This added activity will give your week some structure as well. 

The emotional transition to college is the most difficult for some freshmen.  Homesickness and loneliness are normal during the first two weeks.  By October, roommate issues can surface, and some students question, “Do I fit in here?” by late October.  Most relationship issues reach a crescendo by Thanksgiving, so if you are trying to balance a long-distance relationship and are having trouble, reach out to the counseling center. 

Counseling services are built in to your tuition.  Access these services for everything, including sleeping issues to loneliness to relationship issues.  Your interactions in the counseling center are all private unless you give explicit permission.  Villanova’s Counseling Center is typical of the accessibility and services that you will find on your own campus.