The First Year Experience
Making the transition from high-school to varsity can be a scary and intimidating change, one which could best be described as a culture shock. Teachers, parents, friends and family try their best to prepare you for your first-year experience. But often the focus is more on the academic side of things, while social changes are likely to present equally daunting obstacles.
Simply put, you’ll go through many phases when trying to adapt to your new social environment. You may initially feel fascinated and intrigued by observing the new social structure. But romanticizing this phase can quickly result in a lot of anxiety and frustration when you struggle to find your place. Then comes adjustment. The more you’re exposed to this new environment, the more likely you are to familiarize yourself with the setting. You also learn what to expect and finally become comfortable in your new environment. You may even open yourself up to new, exciting opportunities.
Your actions in this second phase, which is characterized by anxiety, are of great importance in managing your life and finding your place. Suddenly having more responsibility, but also having more personal freedom than ever before, can be tricky, even for the smartest, most street-savvy student.
Fortunately there are platforms within the higher education institutions which offer support with your journey as a varsity student. Your actions and plan for how to deal with these challenges will help you take charge of your new life as a student.
Challenge: Isolation
Solution 1: Engage by making new friends. On-campus and off-campus residences have many social events during which you can meet fellow students. Sometimes making new friends is as simple as sharing an interest, sitting next to someone new every day and introducing yourself or even asking friends to introduce you to people they’ve met. Friends are crucial in avoiding isolation, minimizing homesickness and feeling like you belong.
Solution 2: Participate by joining a society, study group or participating in a sport. Feeling like you’re part of something will help you find your place. Membership, groups and teams provide support which can help you find your own identity on campus and broaden your horizons at the same time.
Challenge: Overindulging or being overwhelmed
Solution: Moderation is key. your personal freedom at university is exciting. But you need to establish boundaries and balance early on. It’s all good and well to attend social events and play sports, but social experiences should also be moderated. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by one aspect, such as a busy social life, if you don’t have some kind of balance. It’s important to develop a study timetable to balance social and academic obligations.
Challenge: Risk of intolerance
Solution: Respect is very important. A significant part of finding your place is respecting others’ places in the structure. The process of social adaptation at university will expose you to people who are different from you, people with different languages, religions and values. It’s important to make a conscious effort to learn about the people around you. You may not always agree, but you should always respect and remember that understanding is important.
This video offers more tips which can also be helpful: