College is exciting and can be one of the most fun times of your life – but it also has the potential to become quite stressful quite quickly.
To help you prepare for the whirlwind you are about to enter, we have listed the top 3 stressful college moments and how to stay calm during them.
Admissions Interviews
When it comes to stressful college moments, the first one happens before your college experience even begins: your pre-college interview!
Your college interview plays an important role in your potential acceptance into the college of your choice. Admissions offices take these interviews very seriously, and use them to get to know applicants on a deeper level than their GPA and SAT scores.
It is absolutely normal to be nervous for and stressed about your upcoming interview; the best way to combat these nerves is to practice.
Prepare for your interview by studying possible questions that may be asked and formulating strong and personalized answers; write a list of unique and creative questions to ask yourself about the school, programs, campus life, etc. to showcase your interest in the school, the effort you have put in to the interview, and your individual tastes and interests outside of the academic sphere; and lastly, make sure to be yourself.
Choosing A Major
Deciding what college to attend and what program to apply for are stressful enough, you’d think you’d be done with the choices, but unfortunately, there is one more major choice you will have to make: choosing your major.
For some people this is easy; they have known exactly what they’ve wanted to do since they were 5 years old.
For others, making the decision of what field you want to work in for the rest of your life is intimidating, overwhelming, and incredibly stressful.
Welcome Week
There are a number of reasons why your first week actually attending college may not be the all-American college dream you were expecting (but don’t worry, that part will come if you survive the first week!).
In all seriousness, your first week will most likely be stressful.
You are, potentially, living away from home for the first time; you have new surroundings, you do not know anyone, and you may feel lonely or nervous because of this.
Next, your first day or few of classes may be overwhelming. College is a lot more work than high school and you may feel underprepared.
And lastly, attempting to attend events, parties, sign up for clubs, etc. while juggling your classes and being subject to “initiations” can easily be too much for many students to handle efficiently. The best way to survive welcome week is to know what to expect and plan ahead.
Staying Calm
Starting college has it’s fair share of stress-invoking moments, but there are a ton of ways you can deal with this stress, such as speaking to someone about it, limiting the amount of factors in your life that are causing stress, taking part in a variety of stress-relieving activities, ensuring you eat right and get enough sleep, creating an organized schedule, etc.
By keeping yourself calm, you will be more likely to enjoy and cherish the beginning of this new adventure, rather than counting down the days and hoping you make it out alive.
