Struggles at College

College can be a weird mixture of fun, excitement, stress, and frustration. It’s going to be fun and exciting meeting new people and learning about topics you love and are interested in. However, there’s a certain amount of stress and frustration that can occur in college and the best thing to remember is to not give up and that everyone is going to feel that way at some point.

First of all, you’re going to be away from your family and friends. Whether you’re going to be an hour away or on the other side of the country or world, you need to prepare yourself for this. It’s not going to be easy no matter how close or far away you are. You’re going to feel lonely at college when you’re away from everyone you know and love and it may not hit you, you may not think about it until your first night in your dorm. Bring mementos from home with you to your college. Whether it’s your favorite blanket, photos, or even a small stuffed animal, bring some things from home to put in your room to feel a little bit better. Perhaps the most important thing to do and remember is to call home once in a while, whether it’s every day or once a week. Sure you can text your friends and family, but don’t underestimate the value of hearing their voice. You’re going to be away from your loved ones for the first time. This is going to be stressful and you’re going to be sad about it, no matter how much you love your college and classes. The important thing to remember is not to let it affect your grades and college courses.

Along with feeling homesick, a universal thing in college is struggling with a class here or there. It happens and it’s nothing to leave college over. You’re going to have to take certain core classes which means you have to take science and math even if they’re your worst subjects. Don’t just not show up to class and not do your homework, either. That’s a waste of your college courses, time, and money. You’ll just have to retake the class later. You need it to graduate, so do your best the first time around so you don’t get stuck in it again. Not doing anything for that class may seem like a good idea at the time, but every time you consider doing nothing for the class, remember this: if you don’t go to class or do your homework, you’re going to be stuck with the class longer. Do your best – you need a certain grade in your core classes in order for the credit to count.

You may have a picture in your head of what college will be like and maybe it’s based on a TV show or a movie you saw. College isn’t as easy as it is portrayed. It isn’t as easy as high school. These aren’t facts to send you running away from college. These are facts to help prepare you. You’re going to be incredibly overwhelmed at the start of college. There is going to be a lot more homework. There is going to be a lot more studying. You’re going to have to change the way you do homework and study. Teachers aren’t going to be as lenient as they were in high school. They won’t provide you with guided notes, they won’t hunt you down and personally remind you to turn in your essay that was due a week ago and still give you credit for it. You have to work in college. A lot. But you will become used to it, it will be fun and exciting again once you get used to it. The beginning is a struggle for everyone. Once you get over the hurdle at the beginning, it will be so much better and at the end it will be worth it. The homesickness, the struggle with your classes, and more will all be worth it once you walk across the stage at graduation. You will have accomplished a huge thing. Until you get to that point though, you’re going to be struggling with a lot and learning how to deal with those struggles.