Peer pressure, stress, anxiety, and homesickness are some of the challenges that freshmen face in their new life when they enter universities. Stepping foot in a new school is definitely one for the books for many teens. Teenagers think that by being in college and away from home, they can be free to do whatever they want. But, with these actions come great responsibility and maturity.

Homesickness

The first thing a freshman will feel once the school year starts is homesickness. Most freshmen students leave home to study at their dream college far away. Change in the living environment causes homesickness. Students become overwhelmed by all the changes they undergo when they start school and at one point, they will miss the comfort of their home. When a student experiences this, other difficulties may arise and can even contribute to stress, anxiety, and anger.

Establishing a familiarity with the new living environment can help a student can manage homesickness. Never stay isolated. And it is important to make new friends, establish new relationships, and make connections with new people.

Stress

Taking on greater things in life can be more challenging. This is how most college students feel once they start with the school year. Students also have to deal with stress apart from homesickness. Freshmen students get weighed down by the amount of workload they have and they feel that there are just so many things to do. Building new relationships with peers is another thing that bothers freshmen. To add to those, they even worry about college debts and how to pay it back after graduation.

To cope with stress and have a stress-free freshman year, keep your tasks organized. Don’t worry and expect too much and keep a balanced diet. It is also important to take a break when you feel like you are stressed out.

Anxiety

In line with stress, freshmen students may face anxiety as well. Facing so many new things can give one a sense of anxiety. It seems as if anxiety cannot be avoided because of the amount of work and expectations they have in school plus real-life worries.

To deal with this, the trick is to not be anxious about being anxious! Keeping yourself busy with things that make you feel good and happy can lessen anxiety problems. Get yourself engaged in clubs and organizations that you will enjoy. The overwhelming feeling of being a freshman is normal and it may take some time to adjust and get used to it. Always have time for relaxation to avoid being anxious.

Peer Pressure

Freshmen face so many pressures once they enter college and, being young and newbies, they can be very vulnerable to peer pressure. Social acceptance in college matters so much that they give in to peer pressure. They join parties and start hanging out with people who are not exactly a good company.

However it is easy to combat peer pressure. The community is much larger in college so you have more choices on who to hang out with. It is important to find and make connections with people who have the same values as you, especially regarding self-control. Another thing to keep in mind is to not worry about saying no to peer pressure and being firm about it. Most people that give in are those that cannot say no.

Hey, we’ve all been there! By following the tips above, you will be one step closer to a successful first year of college!