My first day in college

You are crossing a milestone and it's natural to feel
overwhelmed. But help is round the corner and it is up to you to seek it. Reema Saffarini tells you how

You woke up todays to find that your life has totally changed. For the next four years you will be a college student, when a few months ago you hung out with friends in your high school playground.

Suddenly it's up to you to attend classes, handle your finances, do your laundry, sit for exams, manage your time, go partying and hang out with friends. In other words, you've become independent!

However, as exciting as some students are to live what adults usually call "the best time of their lives", many have their fears and worries. The change can be overwhelming, but guess what? It's cool!

It's okay to be worried. It's okay to wonder if you're in the right place or studying the right major.

Feeling lonely? Seems like everybody knows everyone else? Guess again. That's not true. All students are trying to get a foot in the door and you are no exception. Some show their fears and some don't.

Significant event
New students usually face many challenges when they first start college, according to Ahmad Maher, senior student counsellor at the American University of Sharjah.

This happens because attending college is "the major turning point in young adults' lives. It is as significant as getting married or getting a job for the first time".

Orienting students
Adapting to the new university life is clearly not easy, which is why universities hold an orientation day for freshers to help get them acquainted with the institutions' rules, services, faculty and staff.

"Students come from various backgrounds, cultures and education systems. Holding an orientation for them would ease them into their new life slowly," said Bushra Finaish, student support manager at the American University in Dubai.

"During orientation students are given information about university life, they learn their rights and responsibilities, meet the faculty and staff and find out where to go for help. In other words, they learn all about the university's social and academic aspects," she said.

If you are reading this now, you probably remember your orientation day, when you met the college's dean and faculty, learned about the clubs and extracurricular activities at the university and maybe met with senior students or orientation leaders.

Missing home
But what is it that students encounter when they first enter college? The most common challenges students face are anxiety, stress, loneliness and homesickness, said Maher.

"Anxiety is to be afraid of the unknown. Most new students are worried about passing a class, not graduating, not choosing the right major and not proving themselves to their families, friends and teachers," he added.

"Stress is also common because of the pressure to learn how to adapt to a new educational system - if you come from a segregated system or vice-versa - get accustomed to instructors, make new friends and live in a diverse school environment."

Struggling with new-found independence, responsibility and homesickness is also expected.

Share your thoughts
It is said that the healing process starts when one admits there is a problem. So, if you feel that you are stressed, cannot sleep or always worried, seek help.

"Students can get support from teachers, academic advisers, and most importantly from personal or students counsellors," said Maher. "Students should talk about their problems and seek assistance. These issues are easy to handle with professional support and are hard to solve on their own."

Low self-esteem
Students who don't have friends and suffered loneliness and isolation in high school usually face problems in college.

"Most students with low self-esteem experience more hardships than students with high self confidence. Students with dependent personalities and dysfunctional support systems suffer more than those with strong support."

It may take some students a few weeks while others months to adjust.

Last words
Enjoying college life is a combination of many elements: choosing the right major, making friends, enjoying independence and learning new things.

"We need to succeed in college because the correlation is high between happiness and success. Happiness is a mental decision we make, followed by some actions we take and some bad habits we break. So enjoy your college life as much as you can," said Maher.

Freshmen your fears

"I feel I am in the wrong place. I don't know anyone and just recently i started making friends."
Mohammad Abu Aisha, engineering, American University of Sharjah (AUS)

"I am not used to the forms and my room yet, especially since back home everything is better. I just need to get used to it here."
Omara Al Kotob, computer engineering, AUS

"Definitely I have fears. I do not know what sort of people I'm going to meet. I am scared of not doing well in my studies. I don't know the professors, what they think and what they expect from students."
Faisal Al Unaizi, intensive English programme, AUS

"I guess my fears are about not doing well academically."
Zuhair Al Alami, engineering, American University of Sharjah

"I am scared of flunking the TOEFL exam. Also this is quite a transition from school to university, so things are changing now."
Amer Hijazi, engineering, American University of Sharjah

"I have no fears, particularly because a friend is in a college nearby. So somehow I have a friend around."
Mohammad Sanoodh, finance, IITM, Dubai

I hate my major
One of the main issues that students come across is choosing their major. Some are forced into studying a subject because of family pressure. Some are lucky and enrol in a programme of their liking. Others, however, remain "undeclared".

Major and career link
"Sometimes students choose majors because of their parents or because of peer pressure. (Think...) you will be working in a job related to the major that you have chosen for the rest of your life, so you'd better like it or you will regret your decision eventually," said Basmah Ali, career education coordinator at Zayed University.

The key to choosing a major is to see how relevant it is to the workplace.

However, Ali believes that there is a need for communication, design and business graduates. In addition, global trends now value service industries.

"All service jobs will be in demand here such as social work, psychology, teaching, nursing, nutrition, counselling, etc," she said.

Seniors to juniors

"It all depends on the person; the most important thing is to be yourself."
Mohammad Asif, engineering, American University of Sharjah (AUS)

"Take it easy. Besides, if you want to make friends you will, so don't worry."
Zeeshan Khatri, chemical engineering, AUS

"Take the college experience to the maximum, no matter how stressful it gets. In the end it's these four years of college you will remember and all the hard work will pay off."
Abdullah Bsaiso, accounting and marketing, AUS

"Take each day as it comes and focus on making friends."
Gaurang Shenoi, MBA, S.P. Jain Centre of Management (SPJCM), Dubai

"Take it easy and don't anticipate too much. Everything will fall into place in the end. It might be dicey at the beginning but within two months you will settle down."
-Pallavi Shenoy, MBA, SPJCM

"Interact with seniors and don't be afraid to mingle. Be yourself."
Deepak Kumar, commerce, Mahatma Gandhi University, Dubai branch

Real cases

You might read this and think, oh well... I don't think students really go to a counsellor. But, that's not true.

"I knew a student who was extremely dependent on his parents to do everything for him. When he came to university a few years ago he faced so many problems adjusting to the new life on campus," Maher explained.

Other cases include a student raised by her divorced mother and who suffered from being ignored and abandoned by her father.

"When she came to university she was depressed and she never trusted herself. She felt that she was not lovable and did not deserve to be happy. Needless to say she faced a lot of challenges at university," he said.

Home away from home

A college dorm room is usually furnished with a closet, dresser drawers for clothing, a desk for personal electronics and stationary. Appliances may be limited to a small microwave oven and a dorm-sized refrigerator, in some cases.
Make sure you get a campus mailbox address, a mobile number and a college dorm room number to give to loved ones who want to visit.
Make a list of any special accessories or equipment you may need to make your college dorm room workable.
Keep valuable items under lock and key, since a college dorm is very accessible throughout the day and roommates may not keep track of their guests.
Lending and borrowing personal items is also a favourite activity at many college dorms, so know whom to trust.
Living in a college dorm can be like living in a fish bowl, so be prepared for some invasion of privacy. Some of your fellow residents may become lifelong friends, while others may make your life miserable. Your new best friend and your worst enemy may both live just two doors away.
Students who have limited experience living away from home, can find the college dorm experience very stressful. It may help to join college clubs that match your interests and to take advantage of counselling services during times of real conflict.

- Information courtesy of www.wisegeek.com

How to enjoy college life

Eat healthy
Drink a lot of water
Sleep well
Walk daily
Have a piece of chocolate every day
Smile always
Laugh whenever you can
Share your feelings with your close friends
Learn how to be positive
Trust yourself
Take it one day at the time
Swim weekly
Call your family and friends weekly
Seek help whenever you feel the need
Look at college as a phase you will pass no matter what happens, so why not enjoy it and get the best out of it!