My biggest issue with college is going to be having a roommate. But like the roommate isn’t the actual problem, it will be the fact that because of said roommate I’ll have to wear pants in my own room for once
Is it August already? It seems as if it was just yesterday that I was trying to keep my eyes open through high school graduation. Now I find my first quarter at UCR is approaching much faster than anticipated...and I'm scared out of my mind.
Like many in my situation, I've spent my whole academic life preparing for the moment I go to college. But despite all of the tours, counseling and college fairs, I really have no idea what I'm getting into. Who do we listen to? I've heard everything from horror stories about the workload (and the quarter system...yikes) to too-good-to-be-true accounts of friendship, accomplishments and, of course, parties. No adult I talked to really gave me a straight answer, so I did what any desperate teenager would do: took it to Facebook.
I asked some friends, people I met at orientation, and random UCR incomers what their biggest fears about coming into college were - and the results were comforting. Despite the fact that no one has any answers for each other, we can take solace in the fact that we are not alone. So now, without further adieu, I present the top 3 freshman worries that no one seems to be able to banish.
1. Roommate issues: For many, freshman year means moving out of the house and living on your own for the first time. This is scary in itself, and the prospect of being forced to live with a complete stranger is just as terrifying. Just think about it: you are going to be one of a thousand people in your building, most of whom are also out on their own for the first time. Anyone who has taken the roommate placement test may share my skepticism that their 3-question survey regarding music, cleanliness and bedtime will place me with my ideal roommate.
Personally, I would rather have seen questions like, "On a scale from 1 to 10, how likely are you to become a serial killer?" or, "How many times on average do you say 'YOLO' in any given day?" I would have even appreciated them asking my favorite color (olive green), or my level of aversion to neon (very, very, high). Despite our worries, whoever we meet in our room that day will probably not be a space alien or a fire-breathing dragon, and probably not even a murderous bear. They'll be a human being just like the rest of us, and even if they stay up too late, play obnoxious music or (god forbid) have an all-neon color scheme, we will learn to live with them - and perhaps even grow to love them.
Unless you're matched with a serial killer, in which case you have a good chance of being serial-killed.
Source.
2. Failing classes: When it comes down to it, education is why we are all here in the first place. What better way to start your first quarter than by failing all your classes? So many of us are used to the traditional classroom setting with about 30 kids and a teacher, and I imagine I was not alone when I nearly soiled myself realizing I was one of 500 students in my history class. Although I have been assured (in a very Dumbledore-like manner) that help will always be given to those who ask for it, it seems as though it is a lot easier to fail a class when you’re out on your own.
Of course, being UCR students, we have all the tools we need to succeed; we're reasonably bright, talented, and we can seek help from other students and office hours. But it seems like a whole new game when you realize that you are probably no longer the smartest in your class, and that you may not just breeze through life like you did in high school. Although it may seem like a long-shot, most of us will find the right balance of work and play that will keep our grades and spirits up. And if not, there are plenty of people at UCR willing to lend a helping hand.
Source.
3. Making new friends: It's hard to think about leaving all of those friends we made in high school, but it's even more daunting when we realize that while we're struggling to assimilate to a new academic life, we still need to socialize. Although it's true some of us are more outspoken than others, which makes meeting new friends (and enemies) a bit easier, everyone is under the same pressure. The fact that we have this common fear may actually help us bind together as a force against social ostracizing.
However, it’s also possible that everyone I surveyed was just lying to me about this fear and I'm going to be the only nervous one, in which case I will probably conquer my issues Quasimodo style and just hiss at people from the bell tower.
Source.
Fellow freshpeople, you are not alone in your worries. Just remember: when things seem daunting, we can always look up to those before us and remember that they were never serial-killed by their roommates, they weren't eaten up in their huge classes, and almost none of them were forced to live in the bell tower. Of course, there's always a first for everything. Good luck, class of 2016!
