College Life: Advantages and Disadvantages

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Life in College
Tips on Surviving in College
Life after Studying
Conclusion
References

Introduction

College life is the period which is featured by numerous adventures, successes and failures. It is often remembered as the best period in human’s life, as it is the peak of energy, wishes and dreams. Students are the most careless stratum of the population, as they study, date, entertain and communicate without minding numerous problems. (Coulter, p. 45)

Once, someone makes the final decision to begin studying in college, the new phase of life starts. Suddenly, the uncertainty which featured several months of the previous life disappear, and there is strong necessity to change the everyday habits, gain additional studying skills and mental resources, while there is still a strong wish to entertain, go in for sports, date etc.

Life in College

According to Harpur (p. 32), those who are considered to be the veterans of the college life will never forget their “freshmanity” – the first year of studying in college. In spite of new impressions and feelings, this period is filled with anticipation, some anxiety, and surely there is place for wonderful discoveries. Undoubtedly, college differs essentially from high school. (Rose, p. 11) Most students prefer leaving their homes and start their independent living in campuses, and the first year of study is the most dramatic, often hazardous and rather difficult for those who choose living in campus. It is closely linked with several factors, such as sharing room (wardrobe, fridge, shower and some other things) with other people. Parents are far, and it depresses essentially. (Ward, p. 5)

The first thing which should be notices is the workload. It is heavier and much more intense than anyone had experienced before. The challenges of the college life which are expected are closely linked with huge volumes of reading, short and running off deadlines and, surely, writing. Such volumes of workload cause doubt, frustration, and the enormous feeling of loneliness, as all the assignments tend to take away all the free time and student considers that he or she is left alone in the world with the whales of assignments to complete and papers to write. (Miller, Myron Steinmann, p. 148)

The longest assignments and the endless nights of studying and writing spent for accomplishing these assignments make people long for their school years. It is important to overcome these feelings and initial depression, as these nights and assignments are not eternal. (Jones, p. 465) As the proverb goes, things always look better in the morning, consequently it is necessary to wait a little with serious decisions and conclusions.

Along with frustration and depression the college life is featured by numerous positive moments. These are making of new friends. Young people often try to make better impression, and start playing roles of those who are definitely different from their nature. (Kelley, p. 237) It is important to be yourself, as when the truth is discovered, it will be difficult to restore the trustful relations, and, taking into account that the college friendship is often the most long-term and satisfying, this tip seems the most important.

Living a life of a college student is impossible without the matters of independence. Students are fully responsible for their actions, and they are their own bosses. Beach (p. 76) states the following: “Be careful here. Don’t go flying off the end of the pier. Enjoy your newfound freedom. Stay up until dawn talking about your ideals and ambitions with your dorm’s regular bull session buddies. Sleep in until the afternoon on a light class day. Explore the local town or suburbs with one or two of your new friends. Remember, though, with freedom comes responsibility. Even though your parents won’t be around to follow up on your loose ends, you shouldn’t let things go completely. Just find your own style.”

This is the period when young people start thinking over their future life. Some find the research topic which will become the center of the whole studying process, which will define the future life. Appearing of new interests defines the topic of the researches, while successful researches may define the future career. (Fischer, p. 47)

Studying in the college is often defined as the acquiring of higher education and gaining profession, however it is impossible to remember everything what a student was taught. Studying in college is not just learning, it is the acquiring of skills and the way of thinking, which are the basis of any education and the basis of the probable career. (Estrada, Dupoux, Wolman, p. 56)

Tips on Surviving in College

Surviving is the essence of life. When the prehistoric humans learnt how to survive in forests, mountains, deserts and valleys they started progressing. Originally, the whole life is the constant and uninterruptable process of surviving. College life is not an exception. Surely, everyone chooses his or her own strategy and finds unique ways of living a college life; however, there are common tips, which may be used by everyone. (Goode, p. 54)

First impression is half the battle, and it is formed according to the appearance. Consequently, it is necessary to consider packing clothes that wrinkle less. It is not permitted to leave the dorm room in wrinkled clothes. The easiest way of making a positive impression is the visiting of the orientation. Sometimes the people met during orientation become the best friends. (Gupchup, Borrego, Konduri, p. 456)

It is impossible to struggle successfully on an unknown territory; consequently, there is strong necessity to study the campus territory: where the most important objects are located, where people who can help dwell, what are the shortest ways etc.

The studying process is thoroughly scheduled, so, this schedule should be learnt by heart. As for the spare time, it is often advised to have schedule even for it, as planning is the best way to save time and accomplish every important assignment.

In order to be on the top, it is necessary to define the professors, who would help you to reach it. Originally, good professors often make the course even more interesting, so, it is necessary to take it into account. (Glendon, p.23)

Some freshmen are too shy to ask for advice. It is their fault: do not be shy to ask for help from older students or professors. They are more experienced with many of the things you will go through and they can help. Do not wait for them to come to you, go to them. Another tip which touches upon professors is not to believe them on the first day of the class, as they tend to exaggerate the amount of the works and assignments required. Anyway, they will have to check all the works by themselves, consequently, too much assignments are additional problems for them.

The courses should be selected not on the basis of importance (which is often seeming), but those which are interesting. Taking these interesting and fun subjects makes a student well rounded.

The wide spread mistake of all freshmen, and not only freshmen is the attempting to write down everything what lecturer tells. Some students are really coping with it; however, it is the most boring thing in the studying process. If there is really the strong necessity to write down every word, it is better to have small recorder. (Managing Time Is the Key to Success, p. 87)

Life after Studying

In spite of the immense amounts of assignments test papers and classes there will be time for entertainment. In order this was really enjoying, it is necessary to find a hobby, which would be really interesting for you. Hobby should be inevitably shared with a friend, it should fit your interests and opportunities and it is essential to set up correct priorities, in order the hobby did not become more important than the studying process. Discos, walks, parties, fun etc are the integral parts of student life, as these activities help to find new friends, and enforce friendship with the existing friends.

Conclusion

Life in the college is marked with numerous unique factors and features. It is often regarded that students are only engaged in the eternal studying process and have to accomplish numerous assignments and write eternal papers, while the life passes away. Surely, there are whales of classes and studying, however, these are the things that make student different form the others. This life requires special skills and abilities, while additional opportunities and the other way of thinking is offered by studying in college.

References

Beach, Waldo. Conscience on Campus: An Interpretation of Ethics for College Life. New York: Association Press, 1999.

Coulter, E. Merton. College Life. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1999.

Estrada, Lisi, Errol Dupoux, and Clara Wolman. “The Relationship between Locus of Control and Personal-Emotional Adjustment and Social Adjustment to College Life in Students with and without Learning Disabilities.” College Student Journal 40.1 (2006): 43

Fischer, Mary J. “Settling into Campus Life: Differences by Race/ethnicity in College Involvement and Outcomes.” Journal of Higher Education 78.2 (2007): 125

Glendon, Mary Ann. “Off at College.” First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life 2005: 41

Goode, Stephen. “Nelson Teaches Lessons for Life; Christopher B. Nelson and St. John’s College Educate Students in the Fullness of the Western Academic Tradition with a Dynamic Great Books Curriculum.” Insight on the News 2002: 36

Gupchup, Gireesh V., Matthew E. Borrego, and Niranjan Konduri. “The Impact of Student Life Stress on Health Related Quality of Life among Doctor of Pharmacy Students.” College Student Journal 38.2 (2004): 292

Harpur, John, Maria Lawlor, and Michael Fitzgerald. Succeeding in College with Asperger Syndrome: A Student Guide. London: Jessica Kingsley, 2004.

Jones, Rufus M. The Trail of Life in College. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1999.

Kelley, Janet Agnes, ed. College Life and the Mores. New York: , 2001.

“Managing Time Is the Key to Success; College Life Can Offer Plenty of Unstructured Hours Many Students Aren’t Accustomed to. Laura Goodman Discovers the Rewards of Making Use of Them Resourcefully Education 2005.” The Evening Standard (London, England).

Miller, Michael T., Myron L. Pope, and Thomas D. Steinmann. “A Profile of Contemporary Community College Student Involvement, Technology Use and Reliance on Selected College Life Skills.” College Student Journal 39.3 (2005): 596

Rose, Julie. “The Impossible Life of a College President.” Washington Monthly Mar. 1989: 18

Shostak, Arthur B., ed. Sociology and Student Life: Toward a New Campus: Selected Readings for Introductory Sociology. New York: David McKay, 2000 “There’s More to College Life Than Study!.” The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland): 19.

Ward, Jeremy, Jody Daughtry, and Donald Wise. “A Turning Point for Inner-City Youth: High School Students Who Are Introduced to College Life End Up Completing High School and Attending College at Higher Rates.” Leadership 2007: 12

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