Change in a person's life can be a very scary thing. It also just so happens that college is one of the biggest changes in a person's adolescent/young-adult life. So, with this transition from high school to college, every freshman faces their own plethora of worries and fears.
For many, this could be their first time away from home (maybe five or more hours away). So, in order to get a true understanding of what the freshman Class of 2023 is most fearful of, I asked about 100 incoming freshmen from a variety of colleges what scares them the most about going to college.
Each person has their own personal demons that (s)he will eventually conquer once (s)he steps foot onto campus for the very first time. With that, here are the 10 scariest things to a freshman about going away to college:
1. Privacy/Roommates
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If you're someone who has had your own room for your entire life, this could be the biggest fear for you. Not only do you have to share space with a stranger, but you also might not be able to have that luxury of privacy 24/7 that you awfully crave. While you don't necessarily have to be best friends with your roommate, communication is key. Want to hang with your friends in your dorm without them around? Talk to them. Want them to stop playing loud music? Talk to them. A conversation may not cure all the problems, but it can cure most of them.
2. Not Getting The Grades That You Want
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Trying to get through what might be your first time away from home has its causalities, with the biggest one being your grades. But it's something you should work hard at and not be disappointed if you fall short. This is a brand-new experience and you need to give yourself a shot to grow and not be so hard on yourself.
3. Balancing Schoolwork, A Social Life, And Sleep
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Ever see that triangle where you can only pick two? This is that triangle. While you don't have to choose necessarily two, you do have to make sure you're attending to all three adequate amounts. You might not be able to do your homework that one day and that's OK!
4. Making Friends
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Unless you're one of the lucky few, most people end up being the only person out of their friend group to go to their college. Therefore, it's time to start over and meet some new people. For some people, it's an amazing thing. But for others, it's isolating. But luckily there are so many clubs and groups on every college campus that can easily break that first day (or year) jitters.
5. Overwhelmed With Classes
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While our high school selves are used to handling 8-9 classes a day, the expectations were a lot lower than they are at this stage in the game. So even taking the minimum amount of credits required can be a stressful experience for someone just trying to get accustomed to a new environment.
6. Major Switching
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What can be the weirdest part of college is having to know what you want to do with the rest of your life when you're 17 or 18. Fears around this are mostly regretting your decision and having to change it. Though it is possible that you might change your mind about your career path, change your major is a very plausible idea. Especially in your freshman or sophomore year where advisors can really lead you on the right track no matter the case.
7. Bathrooms
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Honestly to me is the biggest worry of mine due to the fact of having to use the bathroom for whatever when someone else is not. It'll take some time to adjust and learn the times that you can have it all to yourself.
8. Transitioning Between High School And College
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High School is such a different beast. Popularity was on everyone's brains and the thought of not having good enough grades for college worried everyone. Welp, you're in college now! Yeah, it'll feel weird those first couple weeks to not go to every single class every day for five days a week. But, honestly, who wants to wake up at 7 a.m. every day?
9. Cost Of Attendance
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College is expensive. That is no lie. The thought of betting your financial future on college is not the best of thoughts. Not only is there financial aid for low-income families, but there are also so many scholarships for academics that allow you to keep hustling and keep learning everything you can.
10. Missing Home
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For many people, leaving their loved ones is something that they wouldn't be caught dead doing; but they're still venturing away. Thank god we live in 2019 and there are options like Skype or FaceTime that can really help cure that nasty homesickness.
