Moving from high school to college may be an exciting transition, but it is also a very difficult one. New challenges await us at every turn. The right set of expectations and very important to steer freshers to success.
For some freshers college is the beginning of one’s career and their foremost expectation is to ‘Learn’. For others it is a new found ‘Freedom’. Their expectations are unrealistic – partying all night with new friends, finding a new love interest, and playing wild drinking games.
A recent survey on 31 first year students’ social and academic expectations showed that students with unrealistically high expectations had lower first year common grade point averages (CGPAs) than students with average expectations. The latter students put more effort into academics, studied harder, and attended classes more regularly than students with unrealistic expectations.
Decades ago, Stern (1966) termed such unrealistic expectations as the “Freshman Myth”. He found that freshmen entered college with false expectations in both academic and social domains. They assumed that colleges provided extracurricular activities and academic opportunities that could only exist in an utopian situation.
In the real world of real colleges when such unrealistic expectations are not aligned with experiences freshmen demonstrate a high degree of stress and exhibit depressive symptoms including homesickness, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, trauma, and in extreme cases suicidal thoughts and attempts. Thus, helping freshers overcome these unrealistic expectations is a major need for colleges and universities nowadays. Towards this end, freshers should be made familiar with the ideal expectations on either side.
However, expectations alone do not guarantee success, firstly one has to make adaptations. Being prepared to adapt is a key to succeeding in any environment. Students who hold positive expectations and are prepared to make adaptations fare better than those who simply have an optimistic outlook. Similar to the social and emotional realms, the key to academic success is also related to an ability to adapt. Students attending residential colleges are typically living on their own for the first time so they must simultaneously adapt to college academic rigor and new social responsibilities.
Thus the need for adaptation defines the first ideal expectation from universities and colleges that every fresher should have. Administration, faculty, staff and seniors should help freshers adjust to their new environment. Being approachable and friendly would go a long way in making the newcomers feel at home. Introduction to clubs and societies helps freshers find people with similar interests and make friends. Students in turn should be open to new experiences. Fear is natural but must be overcome.
The second ideal fresher expectation would be to feel safe. Many new students are kept from going out and mingling with seniors by the fear of ragging. From the very start every fresher should be assured by administration, faculty, staff and seniors that they would not be ragged. Freshers should be made familiar with policies, procedures, and precedents regarding the subject. The premises should have an anti ragging cell, an anti ragging squad and CCTV surveillance to ensure that no act of ragging is perpetrated.
The third ideal expectation would be academics related. Freshers may not be used to the level of scholarship and independent study required of them. Academic counselling and faculty support is key in dealing with anxiety related to these areas. Being responsible towards work and balancing academic and extracurricular activity may not come naturally to everybody. That is not to say young people cannot be groomed into responsible adults. All that is required is patience and support.
Last but not the least, every freshmen expects that their college will help them open doors to new opportunities and will guide them to a bright future. They hope their college will provide them knowledge related to their field of interest and they will be able to learn new, advanced stuff. Career counselling, placement advisement etc. come into play here. Students should be encouraged to broach new topics and ask in depth questions in class.
To conclude, we could say that unrealistic expectations or just expecting everything from college may not get one very far. After you’ve adapted to college it’s personally your responsibility to utilize the resources made available to you. Expect yourself be independent and able to do things on your own in the absence of your parents. Remain consistent with your routine (eating, sleeping, exercising, learning, social activities), even if you don’t find it enjoyable. Reduce unnecessary stress in your life. Learn the skills of problem solving, planning ahead, and improving interactions with lecturers and classmates. Never lose positive. Monitor your own progress, remember important dates, and be a self motivated learner. Locate and utilise available campus resources and student support systems.
