Many college outreach programs and resources on campus focus primarily on incoming first-year students, making sure they have access to as many resources as possible as they transition from high school to college. Although being a first-year in college is challenging and demanding, campus resources and programs can sometimes overlook the struggles that almost all students encounter when moving on to their second year of college.
Second-year struggles, although not as frequently talked about, are abundant and hard to overcome. Therefore, we have listed some of the most common struggles second-year students face and ways to overcome them!
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1. Paying for housing
First-year dorms are overpriced—no doubt about that—and although second-year housing is way cheaper, it, sadly, requires a 12-month lease. This means that for four months, whether it is a June to June or a September to September lease, students must pay rent out of their own pocket. Financial aid will cover the rest, but what are students supposed to do for the other four months? Some are financially well off and can easily cover the four months that add up to anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000, However, most students must seek alternatives to paying so much until financial aid comes in.
Overcoming
Try to find a summer job that will give you enough work hours to pay rent every month until financial aid can cover for you. If you are not taking summer classes, try working as many hours as you see fit; this way, you can begin to receive income for future rents as well. Not only will you get work experience, but you will also be able to pay the four or more months of rent out of pocket without a problem.
2. Cooking for yourself
One aspect of first-year dorm life that is taken for granted is the dining hall that readily provides students with food throughout the year. It is natural to get tired of the dining halls after two and a half quarters of the same food over and over again, but when the second year comes around and cooking is required, flashbacks of that accessible food are constant. Not only are cooking skills required now, but time must also be taken out of the busy schedule of students to cook meals throughout the day. If a student does not make time to cook, they can go long periods of time without eating, which then affects health and wellness.
Overcoming
Try out meal prepping! It saves a lot of time throughout the week if you set a time over the weekends to cook for the whole week. This way, even if you are in a hurry, you can quickly reheat food that has already been cooked. You can also take cooking classes from someone you know or over the summer with professionals and look up recipes online to follow. This will help you gain basic life skills and give you the ability to try out different foods.
3. Using the shuttles
Second-year housing is, unfortunately, no longer on campus like the freshman dorms are. Because of this, students must either walk for about 25 minutes every day to class or learn to use the shuttles. The problem with the shuttles is that they sometimes do not stop at every single bus stop due to the amount of students already on the bus or they take longer than expected to arrive. It is something so new for second-years since the shuttle is not needed during the first year and can be stressful to learn what route must be taken for specific stops.
Overcoming
Download the TransLoc Rider app to know exactly which lines are in service and where the shuttle is located at the exact moment. Get familiar with the routes of each over the summer and which ones will pick you up at your stop and take you to your destination. The app will also let you know where the buses are currently at and approximately how long they will take to get to your stop.
4. Adjusting to your schedule
Not all classes are back-to-back in a student’s schedule and being on campus in between gaps can become wasted time. Making the most out of the time in between classes can be extremely hard, but it is crucial because there is no dorm that students can go back to. When gaps are over two hours long, students end up wasting a lot of time that can be used to finish assignments, catch up on readings, or even have study groups to help with upcoming exams.
Overcoming
Find a nice place on campus where you can focus and push yourself to get as much work done as possible during those gaps. This way, your time is not wasted and you can finish your homework by the time your classes are done for the day. There are a lot of nice, quiet places to study, whether inside building or outside, that help with concentration and prevent distractions.
5. Keeping up with clubs and trying new ones
When coming into college, students are excited to try out different things and find their hidden passions. This is usually done by joining different clubs and organizations on campus throughout the year that not only help with finding passions, but also provide a sense of community and belonging. Because of this, clubs that are joined during the first year of college hold a special place in a student’s life but can be hard to maintain once second year comes around. Not only has the student most likely changed, but there are also new pursuits and goals that arise as time goes by. Students are then faced with the decision of continuing with clubs from the previous year or trying different ones and expanding their hobbies.
Overcoming
Choose one to two clubs that have impacted you the most during your first year and stick with them, but make sure to try out all other new ones that catch your interest. Not all will work out, but you will be able to find a couple new ones that will help expand your passions and make the school year different and interesting.
6. Lack of enthusiasm/expectations (second-year slum)
Certain expectations are carried when coming into the first year of college. Along with them are feelings of excitement and nervousness that do not come back when starting the second year. Everyone knows what to expect, what not to expect, what was disappointing and what was not, which leaves a lack of enthusiasm and motivation to begin another year on campus. The college experience is already lived and students do not want to go back to being sleep-deprived most of the time, even when not much homework is done.
Overcoming
Set a goal for the school year that makes you get out of your comfort zone. Whether that means auditioning for a dance team or taking a class you would never imagine taking, push yourself to do at least one thing during the year that scares you and then go out there and make it happen. This way, you will have something to look forward to and make your the year more fun and exciting.