What’s the biggest stressor or difficulty your college student faced in their first year?

[Anonymous]

Being sick constantly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things normally seen

Room-mate issues
Lack of friends/loneliness/home sickness/not fitting in
Mental disease
Being raped or mugged or roofied
Drug addiction
Academic pressure
Getting sucked into destructive behavior and bad company
Toxic frat/sorority culture and being bullied
Lack of money, burden of loans, poverty
Food insecurity
Visa and work permit issues
Doing something illegal

Uh, most of this is NOT normal. Where is your kid?!

DP

I think this list is very good and every school will have students with these issues.

Ok, but the question was regarding YOUR student.

your definition

belonging to or associated with the person or people that the speaker is addressing.
"what is your name?"
2.
belonging to or associated with any person in general.
"the sight is enough to break your heart"

[Anonymous]

Chemistry. Definitely chemistry.

Ended up with an A and an A- which was way more than she ever dreamed, but soooo many tears and so much studying.

What is the worst thing about sophomore year
Organic Chemistry.

[Anonymous]

For kid#1 - a roommate who went home every weekend and incompatible suitemates. They worked through it fine though, made friends outside the dorm, and had a good year. Now a senior and thriving.

For kid#2: younger and less mature than our oldest - anxiety and serious homesickness. Lots of panic attacks and medication issues. Stuck it our for the full year and did very well academically. Transferred to a new school sophomore year. Now a junior.

[Anonymous]

OP, what parents -think- is a stressor to their kid, may not be. My Mom talks of me having a terrible time with roommates. I did not. I changed rooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things normally seen

Room-mate issues
Lack of friends/loneliness/home sickness/not fitting in
Mental disease
Being raped or mugged or roofied
Drug addiction
Academic pressure
Getting sucked into destructive behavior and bad company
Toxic frat/sorority culture and being bullied
Lack of money, burden of loans, poverty
Food insecurity
Visa and work permit issues
Doing something illegal

Uh, most of this is NOT normal. Where is your kid?!

DP

I think this list is very good and every school will have students with these issues.

Ok, but the question was regarding YOUR student.

your definition

belonging to or associated with the person or people that the speaker is addressing.
"what is your name?"
2.
belonging to or associated with any person in general.
"the sight is enough to break your heart"

YOUR college student.

[Anonymous]

A roommate who stayed up all night playing games loudly on his computer. My kid is a night owl but this was too much even for him. The RA and housing office did nothing. Things improved a bit spring quarter but overall really stressful.

[Anonymous]

Knew a student from mountainous SW Virginia (coal country). He escaped his county on an ROTC scholarship. He somehow got by between Pell Grants and ROTC funding, but by the end of every semester he was flat broke. At that point, he could only eat from his college cafeteria's meal plan. The plan he could afford was 12 meals/week. He needed 21 meals, not 12. I am sure he was not alone with that problem.

He did graduate on time and got his commission. Not sure where he ended up later. Totally changed my view about the life of ordinary people in rural America.

[Anonymous]

Should I be worrying that my son got a girlfriend immediately? I’m happy he found someone but will it impede his ability to make guy friends?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Should I be worrying that my son got a girlfriend immediately? I’m happy he found someone but will it impede his ability to make guy friends?

It certainly can, but it doesn't have to. Is he still eating meals with floormates? Playing an intramural sport? If his entire life outside class isn't just with her, it should be ok.

That said, I am encouraging DD not to have a boyfriend freshman year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours had a health issue and it was the first time she had to navigate an illness solo and from several hours away. It was a good reminder to have all of the appropriate release documents signed so the doctors could talk with us about test results and help us determine whether we needed to come.

This is what I worry about. My kid, who is a HS junior, has a few food allergies, a couple that are severe.

[Anonymous]

My child, in his first year at college about 8 hours from home, also has severe food allergies. I was quite concerned, but he has risen to the occasion. He has 3-4 restaurants on campus that he enjoys eating at, and the school is very good about asking about food allergies. He also zoomed with the school dietician before the school year began to
Discuss all of his options. I was worried that he might it eat much, to avoid having to worry about the possibility of anaphylaxis, but he is handling this aspect of being away from home beautifully. I would say that he has adjusted beautifully to being away at school and handling g things on his own. I wish that he could make one or two really good friends, he has lot found his group, but it doesn’t seem to bother him at all. He figures that he will eventually find his people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child, in his first year at college about 8 hours from home, also has severe food allergies. I was quite concerned, but he has risen to the occasion. He has 3-4 restaurants on campus that he enjoys eating at, and the school is very good about asking about food allergies. He also zoomed with the school dietician before the school year began to
Discuss all of his options. I was worried that he might it eat much, to avoid having to worry about the possibility of anaphylaxis, but he is handling this aspect of being away from home beautifully. I would say that he has adjusted beautifully to being away at school and handling g things on his own. I wish that he could make one or two really good friends, he has lot found his group, but it doesn’t seem to bother him at all. He figures that he will eventually find his people.

This is great to hear. I've been thinking that I didn't want my DD to be no more than 4 hours away because of her food allergies but I don't know if it really matters. Whether she's an hour away or 8, she still has to learn how to navigate them without me. Can I ask where your son attends school? One thing that's important is that she goes to one that does a great job accommodating students with food allergies.

[Anonymous]

Problems can lead to empowerment. They overcame something. Your kid will remember it as a success.

Parents, make sure you don't pile-on negativity, and carrying that forward as the narrative.

[Anonymous]

Waking up on time for class because of an all nighter studying then napping after class then not tired at night, etc. Has made friends but not the very tight group he had in HS. Time management was also an issue. Despite all this, returned for year two and seems happy enough but not the “typical” college experience I expected. Seems to study, go to the gym and sleep. Lives with a friend off campus and seems happier with that arrangement than the dorm, and having a car this year has helped. Hang in there people, it’s a bumpy ride.