Conquering phobias

Say hello to the first year of college! One hopes to open this new chapter of life with grace and ease, yet finds only nerves and anxiety. Here are some of the biggest fears that first year students face and ways to overcome them.

Not making any friends. Moving into college is an awkward transition. Living with a complete stranger can be scary and uncomfortable. Many wonder how easily they will be able to make friends, and this causes a lot of stress the first week and so forth. Do not fear, first years. Everyone feels awkward. After awhile, it will feel great to be awkward together.

Your parents crying in front of everyone on move-in day. This situation seems embarrassing and most times unavoidable. It does not look too “cool” if Mom will not stop crying because her baby is all grown up and moving away to college. Crying usually warrants excessive hugging, which can cramp one’s style. But do not fear, first years, she will get a little better every year (hopefully).

An awful roommate. What if he listens to weird music? What if she hates my Justin Bieber poster? What if he always has his significant other over to cuddle at all times of the day and night? These are all valid fears. The truth is, this situation is not all that uncommon. Conflicts may arise with your roommate, but do not fear. Conflicts can be solved with some quality communication. Do not be afraid to compromise and work things out!

Dirty laundry. How is it cleaned? What is a washing machine? How does it work? Learning how to do laundry with no help is a serious burden. At this point, the Mom who would not stop crying is missed because she is not here to do the laundry.

First years relax. Chances are someone will know what they are doing and help out. It is not too tricky and one feels accomplished after completing all three loads.

Gaining the infamous “Freshmen 15”. College cafeterias get a bad reputation. They are assumed to be unhealthy and of poor quality. Not to mention that there is typically an unlimited quantity of food. At times, those terrible fifteen pounds seem inevitable, but there are ways to maintain healthy eating and exercise. Just be ready to work for it!

Doing poorly in academics. There can be a lot of pressure to do well in college because the fact of the matter is that college is not cheap. Classes have more reading and writing, not to mention a lack of structure sometimes.

This can be very different from high school settings and therefore frightening. Difficult classes are just the name of the game. Do not fear, for if one balances their time well and studies hard, success will come. There are also great on-campus resources that are here for help and support. Do not be afraid to ask for it.

Tripping in the Dining Commons in front of the entire student body. A lack of grace is a common fear among students of all ages, but it can be particularly horrifying when it’s only day two and one takes a nasty tumble. Not to mention the food aspect. What if the plate full of food goes flying everywhere? Do not fear, everyone will only laugh moderately, and that is only after first checking for serious injuries.

Getting lost on campus. College is a new place, bigger than any high school. Getting from class to class can be scary when buildings are not familiar. What about finding those friends who live on the other side of campus? It can be confusing.

Don’t fret! Eastern is pretty small. Even if one takes the wrong path, the process to loop back around and relocate to the correct spot will not take more than ten minutes. What a relief, huh?