Hello, I am set to move into my dorm in a couple of days. I am having some bad panic attacks and anxiety over starting college. I’m worried about going, how I’ll do academically, if I picked the wrong school, and overall, how it will be. I don’t know if I’m just stressed about the unknown. This school is about 45-60 minutes away from my house so I will have the opportunity to go home on the weekends. Anyone have any advice for coping with this stress and anxiety? Is this normal?
Totally normal. Just try to breathe and know that most kids go through this. And don’t believe everything you see on social media - not everyone is adjusting perfectly and having the time of their lives. They just want everyone else to think that. Try to reframe your anxiety as excitement. Change is hard - but this is an important transition, so it’s totally normal to be anxious and worried about it. Go easy on yourself and if you feel that your anxiety is becoming overwhelming, please visit the school counseling center. They are well equipped to handle anxious students. Try to breathe and remember that every other freshman is in the same boat. Everyone is nervous about making friends and wondering if they picked the right school. Be open minded and, as I told my girls, when someone asks you to do something or go somewhere (as long as it’s legal and moral) say yes. Go to meals, go for walks around campus, go to orientation events - GO! (and have a good time!)
Don’t go home on the weekend.
It’s totally normal but I totally agree with @eeyore123. Don’t go home on weekends. Wait at least a month before you go home.
This is a big life change and it is normal to be nervous. Kids all over are starting this new chapter of their lives. Try to meet this new adventure with confidence and an open mind! You are close enough to home if you need a little extra support. Good luck!
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And don’t believe everything you see on social media[/.quote]
This!
And this!
It is actually entirely reasonable to be anxious about a big leap into an unknown setting- indeed I wonder about people who genuinely have no qualms at all. Lots of your questions are the ones we all have (all our lives) about any big decision. But at some point you have to say “I’ve done the best that I can do in making this decision and now it’s up to me to execute it well”. And if you approach it that way, it almost always does work out well.
In real life there absolutely will be days when you miss your old life, when you feel lonely or insecure or stressed or overworked or whatever. And when that happens just remember: it’s a normal and you can get through it (some combination of find a friend, do something physical, do something kind for somebody else, and binge watch something comforting usually works). Pro tip 1: don’t go home for the 1st 4-6 weeks if at all possible. Pro tip 2: the first people that you are friendly with first may- or may not- end up being your best buds: there is a lot of regrouping throughout college, but especially during the 1st year.
@collegemom3717 thank you so much! I really appreciate it. Any reason why going home early on isn’t recommended?
Socializing and activities mostly happen on the weekends. Don’t miss out on early opportunities to make connections.