The Experience Of Anxiety During College Freshman Year

I remember moving into my dorm room freshman year at Delta State Univerisity, it was a day I thought would never come. I was thrilled to be starting a new adventure, but also very scared and anxious. There were lots of new experiences to be had; such as living in the dorm, starting a part-time job, and learning in a completely different way. Although freshman year of college can be exciting, it can also be full of anxiety due to finances, missing home and worrying about grades.

College is very expensive, this becomes apparent very quickly during freshman year. The high cost of tuition and textbooks can be baffling, especially if the student does not have scholarships or qualify for financial aid. Some students have to take out loans which adds anxiety of having to pay those back after college. There are also other expenses such as rent if the student lives off campus, food, and going out with friends. A lot of the time when young adults start college, it is the first time they have to worry about money. The new expenses a student faces their first year of college are very daunting.

Living away from home can be a scary and intimidating experience. Not seeing family every day can make a student home sick. They may also feel they are missing out on things that happen at home. Freshman living on campus may be placed in a dorm with someone they do not know. This can be another source of anxiety especially if the students do not get along. Going from seeing your friends every day in high school to possibly not having any friends at school can be very tough on a freshman student. Not having the comfort of friends and family from home is very stressful, which leads to anxiety.

The change from high school curriculum to college can be very stressful; often good grades do not come as easily as they did in high school. Students that make straight A’s in high school with little effort are often in for a shock when those grades do not come as easily in college. Freshman may need to develop new study techniques to help them adjust to the new style of learning. Students that have scholarships have the added pressure of maintaining a high GPA. Getting good grades may be the largest cause of anxiety because when it comes down to it, that’s what the students are there for.

A college freshman will experience many emotions as they begin to figure out how to navigate their first year of college. The years a student spends at college can be some of the best of their lives. There are constantly new, fun experiences and just as often new problems to navigate through. While there may be many causes of anxiety for college freshman, hopefully, there are just as many positive experiences; it is all about balance.