When beginning college, the drastic life change becomes a popular concern for parents and friends of college freshmen. Some may worry that students will take their newly-gained freedom too far and make bad decisions.
Although the transition from high school to college is not an easy one, the truth is that the freedom gained during your first year of college is quickly cancelled out by the stress of adult life.
Students are dealing with newly living on their own, roommate conflicts and the stress of making new friends. They might also be dealing with living in a new city, which is another layer of added stress.
Phillip Voorhees, freshman music major, attended high school at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts here in Natchitoches. He believes that LSMSA helped him transition into college, but notes the differences.
“If I wanted to go anywhere, I had to make a leave request on their digital app that would specify exactly where I would be and when,” Voorhees said. “That was frustrating and a little suffocating. In college, no one is breathing down my neck like that, but at the same time, I’m responsible for my own safety.”
Safety should be a huge concern for newly independent students. Seven percent of college students in America are victims of violent crime per year, as opposed to two percent of Americans in general, according to the Federal Office of Justice Programs.
Some students are more careful than others. Ruben Kho, freshman nursing major, who entered college at seventeen years old, acknowledged his caution as a new freshman.
“I definitely was careful with my new freedom,” Kho said. “I wasn’t too sure how dangerous college can be.”
Along with safety concerns, students admit to being overwhelmed with making their own decisions. Cale Arceneaux, sophomore history major, remembered how he came to miss life before college.
“I grew up very independent, but for the first time, this was true independence,” Arceneaux said. “However, after a few months and into the following year, I came to miss the autonomy of my household. However free I actually am here is quickly humbled by the need for routine, which I suggest is beneficial as well.”
It doesn’t matter how much independence is gained when someone moves to college; life will quickly fall through if this new freedom isn’t balanced by routine and responsibility.
