Many would-be college students keep a rather idealized image of college life in their imagination, believing it to be solely the time of new experiences, independence, partying, and finding your way in life. While all these things are certainly true (or, at the very least, they can be true for individual students), college is also associated with numerous problems. In this article, we will cover some of them, as well as offer some suggestions as to how one can deal with them.
Time Management
This is probably the greatest difficulty students face in college. In high school, parents and the school itself managed your schedule for you. College expects you to make your own decisions about what and when you do. In addition, college packs a lot more material in the same amount of time, and you can further exacerbate it by taking up more than the usual number of credits.
To deal with it, learn your limits. Taking a normal 15-credit semester and paying full attention to all your subjects is better than trying and cramming 21 credits into the same amount of time at the cost of constant sleep deprivation and other problems. Learn to prioritize. Stop wasting time on things that do little for your long-term success.
To make your time management better, you can focus on the improvement of your concentration”.
Selecting a Major
Picking a major may feel like a momentous decision – after all, doesn’t it determine the direction of your future career and life in general? One feels obliged to find the one right solution to the problem, which is extremely stressful and difficult. Many students come to college without having a good idea of what career they would like to pursue, which only makes things worse.
However, while choosing a major is an important step, you should not overthink it. It does not set your future in stone. You will get a chance to change direction later on if you like, even at the later stages of your education. You may start with studying psychology and find yourself a few years later choosing between different dissertation topics in microbiology. Stop worrying and focus on acquiring knowledge and experience.
Debt
With the cost of college tuition constantly increasing, the situation with student debt looks ever more serious with every passing year. Add the cost of accommodation, food, textbooks, transportation, and other supplies to the mix, and you get a recipe for disaster. While most experts suggest that you should not borrow more than you can expect to pay back over the first year after graduating from college, for most students it is simply unrealistic, especially if you want to pursue an academic career that may take a while to start paying off. You can hardly be expected to start paying back your loans when you consider different dissertation topics in microbiology and have a few years of research work in front of you before you get any sort of stable income.
Here is a supplemental read at Daily Prosper that explains if a credit repair can remove student loans. Sounds interesting.
Make it your goal to learn as much as possible about the structure of student debts and the way repayment works. Try getting a job on campus – it will help you earn the much-needed money without distracting you from your studies.
Health Problems
College often means heightened stress levels, increased workload, less and poorer-quality sleep, bad choice of food, and insufficient self-care. Living in close proximity to large numbers of other people means a greater risk of contracting infectious diseases as well.
Make sure you take good care of yourself. Get enough sleep. Pay attention to what you eat. Find time to exercise. If you do fall ill, do not put off visiting the on-campus clinic.
Depression
Depression occupies a special place among other health concerns, as any problems on this list can contribute to it, and it itself can exacerbate other difficulties you encounter. Heightened levels of stress, loneliness, new and unfamiliar environment – all this adds up, creating perfect conditions for serious depression. While we all feel down from time to time, if you feel sad and apathetic for long periods, it may be a sign that something is not right.
If you do think you suffer from a real depression and do not just go through an occasional emotional low, seek professional help. Most campuses offer free counseling to students. Counselors have plenty of experience in dealing with all kinds of emotional problems and can help you sort things out.
College is one of the most exciting and, at the same time, troublesome periods in one’s life. It has a lot of potential both for offering an excellent time and for sapping all your life energy. Keep an eye out for the typical problems students have to deal with, follow our advice, and you will be able to get the most out of it without falling prey to the usual difficulties.
Thomas Jackson is a dynamic and talented content writer at WonderWorldSpace.com, renowned for his engaging and informative articles. Beyond his professional pursuits in writing, Jack is also known for his deep passion for fitness, which not only shapes his lifestyle but also influences his work.