The Beginning of the Rest of Your Life As millions of students graduate from high school every year there’s usually one thing on their mind, college. For some students they will take the journey to college that no one else in their family has taken before, and for others they will continue the family tradition of going through one of the most important moments in their lives. During someone’s time in any fine institution they will find themselves procrastinating, cramming, getting emotional, and even partying. With all that in mind we all have to realize that college is the first stepping stone that many people make in their lives and it greatly influences how their future will turn out. Many students have been through the typical parent’s lecture about studying hard and never waiting till the last second to do their work, but in reality more and more students starting their first year of college will procrastinate to a certain extent. Although the term procrastination is nothing new to any high school graduate, it can be much more dangerous going into college. Because of the new way of life college brings many students, many do not realize all of the distractions college brings. All of the partying, work schedules, college clubs, and social interactions really take their toll on new students and some do not realize how much is too much. With this in mind it is recommended that new students start off slowly and make time schedules to see how much time they have to balance everything out. That way they do not overload their schedules and start procrastinating because, once it starts, grades can be expected to decrease, as well as sports performance, and attendance. Cramming is another word that comes to mind when working with college freshman. Although it is related to procrastination, it is a direct result of it and therefore not the same. Students that cram their work are not always considered bad students. With the new lifestyle that college brings, students are not always good with time management and can be forced to cram in a study session the night, or even hours, before a test. According to an article in the New York Times called “COLLEGE PREP; Adapting to College Life In an Era of Heightened Stress,” In a 1999 survey of 683 colleges and universities conducted in the first days of school by the University of California at Los Angeles, 30.2 percent of freshmen acknowledged that they frequently felt overwhelmed, almost double the rate in 1985. A good technique to help students lose that feeling of being overwhelmed with tests and quizzes is to attend every class and pay attention during the lectures or labs. Not only will this better prepare you for tests, but when you get to those cramming sessions the load of work will be much less because of the knowledge you gained from listening to the professors lectures and working in the labs.
Many college freshman are not only weak of knowledge and cram a lot of their work together during their first year, but they also are very emotional as well. Some worry about college being too big of a change in their normal lifestyle and others get very homesick and miss their close relatives or friends. In the same article mentioned earlier in the New York Times Glenn C. Altschuler states, “The number of appointments at Cornell's counseling and psychological services has risen by 29 percent in the last four years. More than 40 percent of first-year students at Johns Hopkins University visit its counseling center.” With these statistics in mind students must prepare for this disability ahead of time. If unable to live the college life in a dorm or apartment, a good choice for students going to school close to home would be to commute. It would save a lot of time and money and allow any student to slowly work their way into college. For others that can’t stand the big change, it would be beneficial to surround themselves in daily activities that, fit in their schedule of course, relate to their previous lifestyle. Last but certainly not least the subject of college parties comes into play. College is a time to make new experiences but it is expected for students to stay within their means. Alcohol and drugs can have very negative side effects to student’s mental and physical abilities, but getting caught with them can even result in expulsion. It is encouraged for students to have fun and relax at certain points in the week but also expected to stay within the boundaries and follow the guidelines given to them. The best way to avoid being reprimanded is to just stay away from alcohol and drugs, follow the law and at that point those students can expect to have a good time, graduate, and move on to the career path they have chosen. Many people have chosen part of their path in life and, for most, college is on that path. There’s a lot of difficult decisions that must be made when going through college but that’s life. The benefit will far outweigh the cost in the long term because in college people don’t just pay for an education; they pay for an experience. College is going to be one of the best experiences in a person’s life and, although there will be a few bumps on the way, it will all be worth it when graduation day comes and a diploma is given to that person that made the journey through the beginning, of the rest their life.