Transitioning to college, a Junior-year perspective.
So, I have been in college for two years now and sometimes, I find myself reflecting on the past and what I have learned from it. Even more so, I sometimes recall what I wish I knew before I came to BGSU.
My choice to go out of state for school forced me to be prepared for many different aspects of going to college. I was already prepared for not seeing my family, I was already prepared to be financially independent and I was already prepared to do a ton more work than in high school
So what didn’t I know? I think that the most interesting learning experience was watching other student transitions. Sometimes, even now, I would forget that not everyone is in the same phase of life that I am and may struggle with the transition from high school to college.
Originally, I believe my mindset was along the lines of, “If I can handle being away from and doing x, y and z, why can’t this person”? The fact of the matter is that I was simply more willing to embrace the changes that came my way. That is not to say that some people can’t handle such transitions, it is simply to say that that it takes everyone a different amount of time to become comfortable with those transitions.
College is simply another change that many of us will experience. Change is not to be feared for it forces people to put their best foot forward and reach maximum potential.
But remember, that just because you may have been ready to handle all transitions and changes associated with college straight away, not everyone is able to adjust as easily or quickly.
Some people may seem as though they handle the adjustments better than someone else, but the reality is, they are just at a different point in their life where they may more readily embrace changes. And just because some struggle to transition, they are no worse off than others who may have transitioned more gracefully. They are still moving forward.
So, I say recognize that no one will be on the same paths you. Everyone enters college with a different mindset because we all come from different backgrounds and have different values. If you have a friend struggling, be a supportive, be sympathetic and maybe use your experiences to help them continue moving forward. – Caitlyn