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Your Own Independence Day
Becoming a college student is an exciting change in life. But with the independence comes responsibility. If you want to make the most out of the college experience, you should be prepared to make the right choices, from washing your socks to dropping a class or changing your major.
Experts say that the biggest struggle you'll face starting college will be concerning your ability to handle your new independence. "Some students love it and thrive. Some students love the independence and make decisions that cause them difficulty," says Dr. Adrienne Barna, director of the student-counseling center at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., near Washington, D.C. "Every individual is different when it comes to handling the college environment."
Experts say you should begin preparing yourself before you enter college for the change you will face. To adjust in a practical way, think about the changes you’ll face and walk yourself through how you'll manage. You might, for instance, ask for greater independence in handling your money or schedule. Even if you've already been accepted at a school, try to maintain good study habits so that it isn’t difficult to adjust to a college work routine.
Barna and other experts say that many students find their first semester an academic struggle. This is for two reasons: the class work is challenging, and students don't allow enough time or energy for their work. "It's really a matter of prioritizing," Barna says. "There is a real temptation to spend time making friends and finding your niche. That's important, but at the same time, new students need to set aside enough time to do the academic work. It's a big problem in the first semester. They underestimate the time they need for studying. Then they need to regroup and work extra hard in the second semester."
You want to explore all the great new things college has to offer, but pace yourself. And just because you have more freedom, don't underestimate the time required for class work.
Another issue that experts say often arises with new college students is their adjustment to dormitory life. While living in close proximity to other students, personalities sometimes don't mesh. A lack of privacy can make life difficult. This means compromise and negotiation. No one is perfectly happy with roommates, but you have to prepare yourself to be flexible and enjoy the diversity, Barna says. A Web site worth checking out, http://icpac.indiana.edu/-infoseries/is70.html, is one where students at Indiana colleges talk about the problems they've had adjusting to college life.
Many say residential life is difficult. "Living on campus with people you don't know was the biggest adjustment," says Patrick West, a student at University of Southern Indiana. You may be among value systems that are different from your own, Barna says, and that can create conflict.
Peer pressure is intense, as peers are around you all the time. "A student entering college at the age of 18 or so is still in the process of figuring out who she or he is," says Dr. Thomas White, associate director of the Counseling Center at Northern Arizona State University. "The personal challenge for such a student will be to ask, 'How do I maintain my own developing sense of wholeness—integrity—while simultaneously remaining open to the perspectives of others?' That's not easy. To pull it off requires both strength and flexibility." White says while it's important to fit in, you have to stick to your guns about what is essential to you. "The image that comes to mind is a tree rooted in the ground, strong in its trunk and branches, but flexible and still growing, " he says "Your rootedness, your integrity, will be tested. There will be times when you will need to be clear with roommates and new friends about who you are and about what you value and believe."
Another big issue: money. Students often abuse the freedom they have and spend more than they should. Credit-card companies offer cards to students who may not be prepared. "The factor that complicates the transition between child-in-parents'-home to an adult more than any single one is money," says Donna Marie Flanagan, a counselor at the Student Health Center at Purdue. She says this is often the one area where you won't get as much independence as you think you need. "It is extremely hard to lay claim to the right of independence while being financially dependent," she says. "If there are conflicts (with your parents), they can be amplified beyond measure by money." Barna says students need to learn how to develop and stick to a budget, another thing you can do before you go to college.
This all sounds like a lot to think about, but experts say you shouldn't worry about these big adjustments—many of the answers will come naturally. So what else is there? What about the day-to-day stuff? How do your prepare?
Think about how your week goes—what you do each day and what things will change. There's dorm food, alarm clocks without mom and dad, haircuts, laundry, perhaps sororities and fraternities and a myriad of other groups to belong to, friends and class registration. But you can handle it all. Most students do—and learn from it, enjoy it and thrive in the process. It should all be a challenging good time, but be prepared and when the time comes time to make a decision, think about the impact it will have and make the choice thoughtfully. And, White says, "remember the tree." Article provided by 
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