Anticipation for College: The Fears & Excitements

     For a moment, go back in time, and imagine your second semester during your senior year of high school. Excitement is in the air as graduation is quickly approaching, you probably know where you are heading to school in the fall, and, all the while, you are reassuring yourself that where you chose is the perfect place for you to be. For senior Erin Kennedy, at Cheshire High School in Cheshire, Connecticut she experiencing these wealth of emotions as we speak. For Erin, the anticipation of college emits a mix of excitements and fears.

 
      In fall 2012 Erin is going to attend Southern Connecticut Sate University and is planning to major in Secondary Education with English and have a minor in special education. Not to mention, she will hopefully be accepted to their honors program. However, the rigor of the program has her worried. “My biggest fear would be being able to handle the schoolwork,” Erin stated. There is no question about it: college level reading and work is definitely more challenging than that of high school’s. Another fear Erin had was being able to maintain a balance between a social life, classes, and sleep. Time management is, no doubt, another common fear most seniors have before attending college.

 
      Amongst the fear, though, there is excitement. “I’m most excited about meeting new people and making friends that I'll hopefully have for the rest of my life, and having college be the best years of my life,” Erin said. The most exciting part of freshmen year and college, in general, is meeting new people and creating bonds that last forever. Despite her fears, Erin is sure that Southern Connecticut is the best place for her to be because of their superb education school.

 
The fears and excitements Erin feels are common emotions for any high school senior to feel. I recall feeling the same way about the college workload before I came to Rutgers University. “Can I handle it?” I thought. “How will I manage my time?” I thought to myself too. These are questions that can be answered at a summer orientation. However, they are answers that shouldn’t be merely stated but explained and demonstrated. As an orientation leader, I can talk about the difference I see in my own experience from high school to college level work. For example, the fact that you will only have three exams of different weights to determine your grade rather than multiple quizzes or essays of at least eight pages each that you write five times during a semester on top of readings, made my first semester difficult to adjust. It’s certainly hard to sugarcoat the fact that college work is no joke, but instead of completely overwhelming freshmen we can mention the resources available to them to help them adjust to the workload such as the learning centers on each campus, libraries, and teacher assistants and professors who are willing to aid students and show them their potential. I’d share with freshmen that during your first semester it is important not to overload yourself with extra activities and even extra classes to make the adjustment to the workload a little easier. One of the best ways we can educate freshmen on how to handle workload or manage time is through sharing experiences. As far as time management goes and maintaining balance goes, it’s important for freshmen to know that it takes practice and diligence. Giving students a planner like the one Rutgers Student Life gives out every year is a perfect first step for freshmen to take towards good time management. During orientation we should stress good time management habits like writing all of your assignment due dates or exams in an agenda. Perhaps, creating an activity where freshmen have a list of mock assignments and activities that they have to prioritize to manage time would introduce them to good time management habits as well. Another possible way to introduce new students to good time management habits and even work habits would be to include a skit  where orientation leaders act out situations and conflicts where there is conflict between what you want to do and what you should do and when. Sharing personal experiences of our own fears before we attended college and demonstrating them through activities and skits to new students like Erin would be extremely helpful and prepare students for college life. 

 
Excitement is definitely, if not, the most common emotion for a new student to feel before attending college. I know that I couldn’t wait to go to college and attend my own orientation. If anything, orientation made me even more excited for college because I was introduced to all of the opportunities I had available to get involved on campus. Erin said she was excited to meet new people and the best way to do that is by getting involved. We can harness the excitement that new students feel by showing them all of clubs and groups on campus to join. A mini involvement fair mimicking the large one held in the fall would be a great way to do that. Students can browse a few popular organizations and see what they’re all about. I know at my orientation last summer there was something like that but there weren’t that many organizations represented. Perhaps choosing a few from each type of club at Rutgers would ensure to appeal all different types of new students. I’ve joined numerous of clubs and organizations on campus and have most definitely made friends with people that will last a lifetime. There is no doubt that after Erin gets more comfortable with her academic load she will get involved at Southern Connecticut. 

 
With an array of emotions incoming students like Erin feel before coming to college, fear and excitement are the two most common, and it’s up to a process like orientation to alleviate the fear and harness that excitement. As an orientation leader, I am excited, myself, to be able to ease new students of their fears and get them really pumped about getting involved on campus and making new friends. After all, that's what we're here for!  

Do I Look Scared To You?

Kareem and Johnny had close to zero thoughts or insight. Fears about college? “None.” Excitements? “Leaving home.” Anything else? “No.” And so began the interview process with two high school seniors who planned on attending college in the Fall of 2012. (Go figure). Fortunately, after posing and manipulating a series of questions, both guys relayed some pertinent information that spoke to not only them, as a means of self-reflection, but it also spoke to me, as a student leader. Both, Lindenwold High senior, Kareem Fisher (aka. Brother, not my blood brother though) and Paul VI High School senior, John Panichella (aka. Johnny), expressed an overall sense that there would be no more having mommy pack their lunches. No more jammed lockers. No more G.I. Joes. And, they are ecstatic about such circumstances! They truly look forward to delving into the world of college, and nothing at this point can hold these small-town, determined gentlemen back—not even their minimal, yet tiresome, stresses and fears.

I started with the Lindenwold Captain of the Varsity Soccer Team, Stage Crew President, and leader in his own right, Kareem Fisher:

Chris: “I'm doing an interview with high school seniors who are planning to go off to college this Fall... is that you?”

Brother Kareem: “Si.”

We’re getting places!

Planning to attend Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA, and major in Psychology, Fisher entered the college process calm, cool, and collective. He didn’t stress over his application, he didn’t fret over his SATs, and he certainly did not stop enjoying his senior year of high school in exchange for getting accepted to a college. He searched for a happy medium between buckling down to get into the college of his choice, and enjoying his last taste of his high school years! He’s not all too scared. With that said, the only fears he expressed were fears of “not applying [himself] as much as [he] should, and being stuck out on [his] own”. I even learned more about how he is a hardworking young man, and he simply wants to stay that way. Logical fears those are, but he doesn’t meditate on them, for he is stoked to start a new chapter of his life:

Chris: “What are your excitements about college?”

Brother Kareem: “My excitements are that I get to go away, and be on my own, and experience life, and start over, and hang and meet new different people, and learn things from them.”

Surely, Fisher’s realization of his fears, positive attitude, and excitement will add to more than just the last of his high school years, but also his years while in college.

Next, I decided to get the perspective of a Scarlet Knight-in-training. Planning to major in Journalism and Media Studies here at Rutgers University, John Panichella, in harmony with Kareem, is a leader and highly active in his high school. Being first chair flute in the Paul VI band, Editor-in-Chief of his own online media outlet, and an advocate for anti-bullying, Panichella is primarily excited to take all of his passions, determination, and excitement from the high school playground (Hahaha! Just kidding) to the college campus:

Chris: “What are your excitements about college?”

Johnny: “I have so many excitements about college! I can’t wait to meet new people, experience new things, and live in an entirely new atmosphere. I love socializing with people and getting to know everyone, so after so many years in the same place it is somewhat exciting to get to meet a whole new batch of people. I’m also excited to live in a new atmosphere on my own, and seeing how able I am to provide for myself. I can’t wait to have a more adult-like role and being in a more city like environment.”

Chris: “Why are you so excited about Rutgers!?”

Johnny: “Rutgers is my first choice because I love the environment. There’s never a dull moment and there’s countless things to do and places to visit. My cousin goes to Rutgers so it will be nice to hang out with him more often as well. I also love that Rutgers is close to NYC so I can visit The City in my free time. I look forward to hanging out with new people, going to NYC, taking courses in things I am interested in, and living on my own.”

Chris: “Cool beans!”

Panichella truly cannot wait until he gets to Rutgers! Although his college search has come to an end, he does not forget all that he has endured to be considered a Scarlet Knight. He took the arduous time to focus on test scores, his grades, and being involved, and while those things all appeal to colleges, he also never forgot his intrinsic motivation to do the things that he loves to do. He is excited- simple as that. When asked about his fears, he replied with the following:

“I can’t say that I have that many fears about college. I’ve always loved meeting new people, and moving forward in life. I guess the only thing that I’m a little worried about is having to start over. No matter what I did in life, it has all been in this same town, with a lot of the same friends and family around. It’s weird to think that in a few months I’ll be leaving everything I know behind. I’m definitely going to miss my friends, family, and even my town.”

John let me know that he is, of course, going to miss all that he is currently accustomed to, but in time, he will be acclimated to Rutgers, and any of his fears will soon be nonexistent.

I gained a lot from these two guys. They are not really afraid of anything, in terms of leaving off for college, and I believe that it is their positive perspectives that hinder the rising of most of their fears. Indeed, they are preparing to not only survive in college, but thrive as well. As the Thriving Quotient puts it, “…Students with a positive perspective keep trying… this perspective leads to more effective problem solving, stronger relationships, and a more enjoyable college experience” (Schreiner 6). As an Orientation Leader, it remains my job to keep such a perspective alive, encourage, and relay that fears can be overcame—so why not flourish off of the excitements and the positives!