Heading off to college is an exciting but stressful time for new students. If you are anything like me, you most likely spent a majority of summer surfing college information websites, trying to mentally and physically prepare yourself for the next chapter of your life. All of the different information I was reading, along with the advice and stories shared by my family and friends, made me extremely anxious and overwhelmed. I started to worry about everything and anything. Here are the five main things that I worried about before attending college. I hope that my worries and experiences are able to alleviate some of your freshman-year college anxiety!
1. Not Making Friends
Not making friends was one of my biggest worries transitioning to college. Coming from a small private school, I worried that I would just be a small fish in a big sea. I was anxious that people would already know each other or just isolate themselves. Man, was I wrong! Upon my first official day on campus at orientation, I was approached by many other students who I instantly became friends with and still talk to today. Everyone I approached was extremely friendly and super easy to talk to. I quickly realized that everybody wants to make friends and are open to meeting new people.
2. Getting Homesick
Getting homesick is something that many students worry about. College is usually the first time you are away from home for a long period of time and have the freedom to do anything you want. Even though home for me is just a short distance away from campus, I feared that I would miss my family and friends. Yes, for the first few days it was difficult being away from my loved ones, but I didn’t miss them too much as I could still connect with them by phone, video chat, and text message. As first-year students, we have the opportunity to create our own little family with our new friends or people in our residence hall.
3. Roommate Issues
Knowing that I was going to be living on-campus, I had a lot of anxiety over being paired with a roommate whom I would not get along with. I was worried that she would be isolating or that we would not get along. Luckily, there are awesome residential advisors in every building who are there to help you and mediate any issues that you may experience.
4. Not Being Able to Find Food
I am the type of person who needs to have nutritious and filling meals to make the most out of every day. I was nervous that I would be thrown into a situation where I would have to have candy and coffee for every meal. Upon my arrival to campus, I quickly discovered the wide variety of dining options that Hofstra has to offer. From omelets to sushi, there is something for everyone!
5. Time Management
Personally, I like to put forth my best effort into everything I do. Knowing that I had to balance classes, clubs, health, friends, and a social life, I feared that I would not be able to efficiently manage my time. The first few weeks were difficult as I was adjusting to the increased coursework but as time progressed, I have improved the balance of all of these elements. It doesn’t get easier, you only get better!