20 Reasons Not to Stress About College Before You Get There
After months of studying, applying, crying and repeating, the high school graduating class of 2017 has finally made it. After 4 years, we are about to gain a lot more freedom and a lot more perspective. We’ve been waiting for this moment for years. And now that it’s finally here, we have no idea what is going to come next which is terrifying. However, with this great change comes a great amount of worry.
“Will I make friends? Will I find a place where I belong? What if I get homesick? What if I’m too far away? Am I ready for any of this?”
It’s a lot to take in, but there is no need to stress and question your decision.
1. Things happen for a reason.
It happens pretty fast. Suddenly, you have to meet all new people and adjust to a new place and a new schedule. While it might be a little nerve wracking, things happen for a reason. As soon as you are adjusted to this new life, you will understand that all those new things that scared you were just stepping stones.
2. You’ll find a place that feels like your own.
You’ve spent the majority of your life so far trying to figure out what makes you happy and where you feel that we can be ourselves. Thus, a natural stress for incoming freshman is whether or not there be a place where you can be yourself and feel happy. But the numerous clubs, sports and sororities that will be offered to you next year, it’s going to be almost impossible to not find a place where you can be happy.
3. Technology can help you feel less homesick about college before you get there.
Even if college is amazing and you love every minute of it, there is always the possibility of missing your family and friends at home. But there is an easy solution for this issue: technology. Fortunately, we live in an age where you can skype, Facetime, message, tweet at, post about, or call someone whenever you want. All of this is at the tips of our fingers, so getting homesick can be a little bit more bearable.
4. New doesn’t have to be scary.
Most of the stress that most college new bees have is that everything around you is foreign. Suddenly, you are in an environment where you know nothing. On top of this, you are expected to thrive. Even if you don’t thrive, you may realize that change can be good. You are no longer in the environment that you grew up, but that means that you are allowed to explore a new environment and grow in different and new ways.
5. You picked this school for a reason.
After all the stress of preparing for school, it is easy to forget that this school was a decision. It’s important to remember that this was thought out and calculated. So, whenever you are freaking out about next year, just remember why you are going there. You choose this school for a reason.
6. You will have endless opportunities.
When you are at school, you will find that being on your own will open a lot of doors for you. You will get to decide everything from what clubs you want to join to who you want to see everyday to what you eat. You may miss your family and friends but this your time to create your own path.
7. There is a solution to your nerves.
If you have found yourself overthinking your soon to be college experience and worry too often about the future, you should know there is always a solution. Sometimes, when you take a step back, you will see that the future is not as daunting as we make it seem.
8. You get to start over.
The best thing about going to college is that you will get to reinvent yourself. If you were to walk in to class on the first day and speak in an accent, some people may not even know that it was fake. In college, because everything is new and different, you can be as well.
9. There will always be people that you can make friends with.
Even if you have the best social skills in the world, meeting new people is alway a stressful situation. You’ll never be able to predict the people you meet or how you will meet them, but you should be confident that you will eventually find friends.
10. It may take some effort, but everything will fall into place.
Of course, nothing happens on its own. You will have to talk to people to make new friends and you will have to study to get good grades, but soon it will all pay off. By putting in some effort, college will be less daunting. With a little effort, college may become a place where you can thrive.
11. Everyone else is probably just as nervous as you.
Although some people look cool, calm and collected on the outside, everyone has some doubts about going off to college. Everyone going into their freshman year of college feels some form of nerves or anxiety. Whether it’s over dorming, schoolwork or new friends, you’re definitely not alone in your concerns.
12. You may be overthinking some of this.
College before you get there is scary for many reasons and while it’s okay to be a little nervous, you shouldn’t overthink this. Since you’ve already made your decision, it’s natural to question whether it was the right one. But don’t stress yourself out with nerves. Instead just prepare yourself with the little things that you can do like dorm room shopping or messaging new friends on social media.
13. Stay positive.
As I said earlier, everyone has some nerves about college before you get there, but if you worry too much about it you may be hesitant to go. Try and remember all of the cool things that you will gain from next year, all the new experiences and things you will see. If you think about it positively, you won’t have as many nerves. Instead those nerves may turn into excitement.
14. College is a time to figure all of this out.
If you’re going into college questioning whether you’re ready for the real world, that’s college is the perfect time to figure out what you need to do to be successful in the real world. You are finally on your own and can make decisions that will help you become a more well rounded “adult”. Of course, it will take a little bit of work, but you’ll get there.
15. You will still have your support system at home.
No matter if you are going to school across the world or in your own backyard, a common worry is that no one will be there to help you go through this new journey. But, even if you don’t make a lot of new friends, you will always be able to depend on the people that you have at home.
16. You were smart enough to get into college, you are smart enough to succeed in school.
It’s a known fact that college is harder than high school. There is a lot more coursework and you may go more in depth on classes you didn’t even think about. But remember that you were accepted into this school because someone thought you would be able to handle. So, you will be able to succeed if you try.
17. You will be alright.
It’s normal to be nervous about college before you get there. Every reason on this list is only there because so many other people have had the same fears. But no matter what happens, you will be ok. Even if you end up changing your major six times and consider dropping out, you will have survived and learned a lot.
18. Try to stay confident.
It’s not secret that making friends can be awkward. However, freshman year of college it’s all anyone is thinking about. So, it’s important to remember to stay confident. When you step out of your comfort zone, it is natural to want to retreat. But by being confident in yourself and your social skills you’ll be able to meet some awesome new people.
19. You will soon think that stressing over this was silly.
When it finally comes time to go to college and face all of these fears, these things will come naturally. You will find your place, meet new people, join a club or two and look around and realize that worrying wasn’t even necessary.
20. You’re not there yet.
You can stay up nights thinking of potential situations that may happen to us in college, but the truth is, you are not there yet. So, instead of stressing about college before you get there and how you are going to feel when you are finally in the new city and on the campus, just enjoy your summer. Savor the last full months that you’ll have with your friends from home before you go your separate ways. Enjoy every moment with your family. And most importantly, relax more and let yourself be happy.
