<p>I am going off to college next year and I am terrified. It didn't really seem to hit me until just a few days ago. For the past 3 years I have kept pushing away from my parents saying I need more freedom. Now I dont think I can survive without them. I am especially worried that this will affect my schoolwork and I am not going to be able college. Maybe I am thinking about this too soon but I dont know.</p>
<p>I think everyone gets terrified. It sounds like you are all of a sudden thinking about college negatively; try not to. Try to see it as an experience for you to grow and become your own independent person. Also, you don't have to move away to go to college either...if you aren't ready to leave your parents then you could go to a community college, or a college that is only a couple of hours away. But trust me, I think everyone gets scared- and it always works out. It's a big step in your life, I think it would be weird if you weren't a little scared.</p>
<p>It's not at all uncommon to be terrified of being on your own in college. Except that you won't be! You'll have roommates and friends, and they'll look out for you. There will be RAs, Deans, as well as profs. Think of them as being on your side, wanting you to do well, wanting you to come to them with queries, concerns, problems. Your parents will be one email, one phone call away. You'll be able to keep in touch with your friends through email, phone of facebook.
This is actually a great time to be going to college because of the ease of communications and transport. When I was in college (as an international student), there was no email, no cell phones; in fact, there was only one pay phone per floor.
Enjoy your last year in high school and don't worry about college. Once there, you'll love it.</p>
<p>I was terrified back in the summer of '76 and my son is so glad he'll only be a senior next year because he's already terrified. I didn't want to go and my parents made me. All worked out fine.</p>
<p>I will tell you that you have a great opportunity in starting this fall: Get involved in the presidential campaign...choose your side and get involved. You will be in an instant group of like-minded people. Plus, you will be around adults who live in the city/town....they can really be helpful in a pinch. (Back in '76, one sweet Carter volunteer loaned me a coat when we had a cold snap.)</p>
<p>It's totally o.k. and very normal to be scared - especially of new beginnings. I am certain your parents love you very much and will be thinking of you constantly; as Marite posted your parents are one phone call/email away. </p>
<p>I believe the book "Letting Go" opens with a family delivering their freshman to campus on move in day and once on campus and pulled up with fully loaded car in front of the dorm, the young lady, terrified, refuses to get out of the car! This feeling <em>IS</em> normal, and through life there will be many new beginnings - new jobs, new homes, new cities, etc. </p>
<p>Everything is going to be o.k., you'll see.</p>
<p>Practical preparation may help.</p>
<p>For example, you might be afraid that you won't be able to take responsibility for your own daily schedule. But you can start doing that this summer. No matter what your summer activities are -- work, school, sports, whatever -- set your own alarm clock and get yourself up on time. Also, make sure you go to bed in time to get a reasonable amount of sleep.</p>
<p>If you haven't already done so, learn how to do some of the things you'll have to do on your own at college -- like managing your own checking account and doing laundry. Your parents can help with this.</p>
<p>If you have to have a medical checkup before you go to college, or if you need to see a doctor or dentist for any other reason, go alone. Dealing with a familiar health professional on your own is a good way to ease into dealing with unfamiliar ones at college.</p>
<p>It may also help to read the college Web site to get familiar with the place. You might want to look at the course catalog (probably online) and the requirements for your particular school or major and try to figure out what courses you might be taking. You can see whether the housing department has a suggested list of what to bring and not to bring. You can see if there's a Web page that will tell you what you're going to be doing during Orientation.</p>
<p>Also, during the summer, you will be getting lots of mailings (or maybe e-mails) from your college. Read them all. You might also want to read stuff on the forum for your particular college here on CC. You can pick up some good specifics that way.</p>
<p>The more familiar you are with the new world you're entering, the more comfortable you will feel.</p>
<p>As for your parents, they're only going to be a phone call or e-mail away.</p>
<p>Marian's right about practical preparation. What exactly is it that you're afraid of, in concrete terms? If you can figure that out, there will be many things you can do over the summer to help prepare yourself. College is a whole new phase of life, and for most kids there's a period of adjustment as they figure out their new surroundings, strike up new friendships, and learn how to live on their own. Remember that your classmates will all be new to this, too!</p>
<p>It's generally practical prep that people are scared of. Who's going to do my laundry? Will someone wake me up if I oversleep? What do I do if I hate the meat in the dining hall... how do I make ramen in the microwave?!</p>
<p>Use the summer to get all that taken care of while your parents are still around to show you. They went to college, remember that. My mom still remembers her college diet of ramen noodles and told me how she cooked them in the microwave!</p>
<p>If it's academic preparation, there is NOT very much you can do except to hold your nose and jump in the water. You can ask your high school teachers and I'm sure that they will tell you that you are prepared. That's their job. But I guess if you want to be "okay" then I suggest to read A LOT. I'm not talking about tabloids or sports magazines but real books and real magazines like Newsweek and the Economist. It'll make reading college text more bearable, given how much time we sit in front of the Internet these days.</p>
<p>Everything's going to affect your schoolwork, not matter what. Your job is to manage the stress factors so it gets done. Even when I was a senior in college, I still had to deal with non-academic stuff while working on my senior thesis and classes! </p>
<p>You will be FINE. :)</p>
<p>Think back to anticipating the world of high school (or middle school/junior high)- you may have been terrified, worried about your locker, getting to classes, etc. You obviously not only survived, you did well enough to get into college. Same thing with college. They know you are new to it, there will be plenty of orientation activities and plenty of other freshmen around. Plenty of support living in the dorms. Fear of the unknown is common. You will be ready when the time comes, especially if you learn the life skills of taking care of yourself before you get there. Learning to do your laundry is important to becoming independent, get in the habit now. Never be afraid of making mistakes, they happen and life goes on.</p>
<p>I was the same way, took me a little while but when I finally "got it" I came home very little. College is a time for change.... to learn to take care of yourself, to rely on your peers for answers, to make some mistakes and learn from them, to fail before success comes....there will be times of great fun and loneliness/boredom--how you fill those voids will make a difference. Don't retreat to your room but go out and walk around, engage people learn about others unlike you instead of gravitating to people just like you. Go to campus activities even if alone, sit with the students.....learn that it is ok to eat alone in college--very common. If you establish routines for meals, studying you will then have oppty to meet people around you.</p>
<p>Expect to work hard to keep a balanced life--academics, social, spiritual & physical. That is a lot to do in a week! </p>
<p>Last piece of advice, get involved in something---a job, a volunteer acitivity, club or sport early on....the first few weeks are critical to put yourself out there....do not turn down an invite to a meal or anything during the first few weeks......that is when everyone is trying to meet people.....</p>
<p>Seeking clarification: Are you going to college this fall or fall '09?</p>
<p>Good advice from everyone else and I would also like to add that this is so normal. Just know that your parents are just a phone call, IM or email away and there will be hundreds of others just like you. Change always brings on certain fears, just a normal part of life, but like everything else it always works out. </p>
<p>Don't be afraid to ask questions, other students and personnel at college know this is normal and are there to help. </p>
<p>It will be okay and good luck!</p>