Everyone would agree that college times are a wonderful mix of carefree happiness, excitement, thrill, new experience and a few hardships as well. You are sure to remember your college years with a hint of tenderness as well as sadness on the rough moments you had faced. The life of a person who has already graduated seems much more amazing than the one he had before. However, you should keep in mind the challenges and the problems, which should not be neglected. In case you’ve just moved your boots out to college, study the hints below on treating the distressful situations you may face. Not to suffer a lot, get prepared in advance and follow our advice to make your educational course smooth. Among the most common struggles that you might face during your studies, the following difficulties should be mentioned.
Proper time management
When you pass from high school to college you should realize that the latter is much more challenging from the academic point of view, as it seems to put the whole year of academic curriculum in just one semester. Know your opportunities and limits, slow down when it’s possible and take breaks to refresh your mind. Your main purpose should still remain to learn as much as possible, however, you should not devote all your time to studies. Learn to prioritize task, do things in proper order and be organized, take adequate pauses to restore your strength and health.
Procrastination
For many young people college often becomes the first step into an independent life, offering excellent academic experience, but also a social one. It’s extremely important to balance these both aspects, because if you allow procrastinating with your educational assignments, it may quickly lead to problems. Procrastination correlates with the stress level to bring the latter to the minimum, you should try to meet all the deadlines without postponing the task fulfillment.
Money shortage
Day in the day we watch the rising costs of housing, products, transport, supplies, but for students, there are much more costs, which matter. They are the ones for tuition itself and the course books and other materials, which are required for successful studies. Unfortunately, lots of students face the almost unmanageable debt in the form of student loan, which makes some of the young people even consider dropping out of college without finishing their degree.
The primary pieces of advice we’ll offer you here are the following:
- Find out all the ropes of the debt repayment policies before you make your final decision on the amount of it. Though such loans are easy to obtain, but repayment policies vary and you should be well aware of them. Take the assistance of personal financial advisor if needed.
- Think of undertaking of some kind of on-campus job, it may help you cut your transport costs and be more focused on your academic tasks. A part-time job is also a good way out, especially if you can free-lance without any additional costs.
- Start each month of your college life with budget creating and stick to it during the whole period, cut where possible and avoid unnecessary costs.
Social Issues
Though having many friends is a luck not everyone has, constantly spending time with class- and room-mates may be a big challenge. Conflicts arise everywhere, but you should master the art of making new connections and building a community. Try to solve every problem as soon as possible, don’t leave the pot boiling. Remember that it’s vital to find time for yourself, to create a balance building a network and simultaneously reserving time to spend it alone. Let it be a walk in the neighborhood, a cup of coffee in a café or coffee shop, a visit to a park nearby or going to the cinema completely alone. Think about what will most suit you not to make your social relations a complete distraction.
Partying
Parties may blow young people off steam, and that may lead to troubles. Risky behavior, alcohol, drugs may cause not only risks to health but potentially dangerous situations. Just know your limits and keep to them, it will help you to avoid problems with yourself and the others.
Relations
Relations are important at any age, but when you are young, they can be overwhelming, time-consuming and even threatening your education. Breakups are dangerous to young people as they may cause depressions, so it’s important to realize the risk and turn for a professional help in case it’s necessary.
Poor sleeping habits
When you are a student it’s easy to slip down to poor sleeping habits. However, you should keep in mind that besides the threat to your academic performance it also endangers your health. When you have not enough rest, you become unproductive, so you can read something related to your studies before falling asleep, but don’t take an intensive educational load in late hours. Eat balanced meals and take proper rest at night to stay healthy and full of energy, because it’s the key secret for your good performance.
Prioritization
When you are young and full of desires it’s difficult to choose what is most important. Remember that your right choice at college will determine your future career and the ability to earn your living. That’s why it’s extremely important to make the right decision and not to forget to follow your own preferences and interests. In case you do not yet know what is important to you, choose something broad and adaptable, like communications, for instance. It will save you time to consider your future career a bit longer and allow you to get Master’s degree in a different area. However the main thing you should know about the college now is that it is definitely able to stress you to the limit, but the good will outweigh the bad and only positive memories will stay with you for the rest of your life.
