Photo Submitted by Dennis Hudson
Many young adults who graduate high school go on to become a college student. While many are filled with the excitement of being a part of the college atmosphere, others have the fear of facing overwhelming pressure and hard obstacles.
Adjusting to college can be very challenging for a lot of students, especially freshmen. Some students go to college and are extremely nervous entering a new world of education. Others may feel comfortable after a short period of time.
“This semester, I felt as if it would be difficult transitioning to Florida as an out-of-state student. Majority of the people who attend FAMU are from Florida and know people from their high schools so they may feel more comfortable when arriving on campus. I felt as if there was a lot of pressure for me to get out of my anti-social tendencies and meet new people, but once I got on The Hill, it felt like home. It was natural and easy for me to meet new people,” said Ronyqua Farrington, a freshman pre-nursing major from Atlanta.
Whether it is getting along with their professors, the expectation of receiving a large workload, finding their classes all over campus, there’s some sort of obstacle that they tend to face that they won’t be looking forward to.
Students have to master adult-like responsibilities, handle increased amounts of academic work, transitioning if they are from out-of-state and break out of their shell of being anti-social. College can be a lot to deal with, which leads students to have extremely high levels of anxiety and depression.
“The pressure I feel is to dress nice. As someone coming from a family with financial issues, I feel like it is hard for me to keep up with everyone’s style,” said Giniare Ridore, a psychology major at FAMU. “It shouldn’t matter but some kids will judge you if you are not [‘caught up’ in the latest trends”.
Freshmen are even feeling the pressure of trying to fit in with the rest of the campus population. The list of things that first-year students face doesn’t stop there. Time management is also a challenge for students to master.
“If you didn’t have to deal with managing time in high school, it will be difficult for you to do it when you’re in your first year of college because you’ve never done it before. It’s not something that you learn overnight. You actually have to practice time management,” said Takiya Smith, a sophomore psychology major at FAMU.
Some students may feel like not being able to manage their time holds them back from being more interactive and involved around campus. “It is hard to keep up with classes because my schedule is mainly during late afternoon and evenings. I also want to join clubs and organizations, but I find it hard to make time to eat, go to class, and try to make it to interest meetings,” said Ridore.
The obstacles and pressures that first-year college students feel are very challenging. It can be a stressful and overpowering time.