Making any sort of monumental change in life is always daunting. Whether we want to admit it or not, change is scary regardless of how adaptive you are. For incoming freshmen, making the transition to independence can be difficult. There's a lot about going away to school that is challenging. I think that many freshmen have the belief that they should have their life plan figured out by the time they start classes. I certainly did, even though I hadn’t even declared a major yet. But here’s a gentle reminder that half of the graduating seniors don’t know what they’re doing either.
First-year students are usually freshly 18 years old. You’ve just become adults so it's natural that you’re still going to need to rely on your parents or guardians for help. I bet some of you have no idea how taxes work. I wouldn’t expect you to, but it’s certainly something to ask your parents to explain. If you have the ability, it's perfectly acceptable to call your parents for the little things as well, like proofreading a paper, or listening to your day or getting advice. Of course, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to, and maybe you do know how to do your taxes. But try to remember that you’ve got that support system.
Don’t be ashamed to be homesick: settling into a new home can take time. If you cry when your family moves you in and drops you off, don’t be embarrassed, I promise at least three other people in your hall did the same. You’re independent now and should be able to exercise that freedom, but being independent isn’t synonymous with being alone.
For those secure in their majors and future career paths, I applaud you for your decisiveness. It took me a full year to determine what I wanted to study. On average, university students change their major three times, so if the job you thought you wanted turns out to be the wrong choice for you, there are hundreds of other options. It’s not a crime to change your mind. The things you want right now probably won’t be the same as what you want three months from now. The person you are right now won’t be the same as the person you will be by the end of your first semester. Being on your own also means you have the space to grow.
Because you are in the process of learning and adapting to a new environment, no one will patronize you for asking for help. You have every reason to be confident in your own competency, and it doesn’t undermine that competency to need help with something. Ask for help with scheduling—upperclassmen are wonderful resources—ask for help from your classmates if you’re struggling in class and ask someone for directions if you get lost on campus the first few days.
Overall, this is about recognizing the instability and insecurity that coincides with starting something new. I’m not trying to be cliche, I know everyone I spoke to before starting college had some kind of “life-altering” advice to give me about my university journey. I just want to acknowledge that it's easy to get swept up in the overwhelming expectations of becoming an adult and starting higher education. But really, hardly anyone ever knows what they’re doing, and freshmen certainly shouldn't be expected to.
Kirsten Abbey is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Kirsten know by emailing her ka239920@ohio.edu.
