On TV, college life sounds like its all fun and games- meeting cool people and going to parties every night, but they forget to demonstrate how stressful college can be for a student. There are numerous factors that contribute to stress in college students. Stress can affect a students performance in college. Success in college is important because it can have far reaching consequences where your life is concerned. Students are taking on a huge responsibility and some may not handle it as well as others. Two big factors that can contribute to stress are being far from home and adapting to the new school environment.

Many students in high school apply to colleges far from home because they feel they are adults and should start there own lives but fail to realize exactly what that entails. Its not until they’ve left the safety of home and their mothers arms that they actually feel what its like to be alone and they realize its not as easy as they’d thought. Homesickness is very common in college students and can affect their school performance. It causes students to feel anxious and their motivation decreases, making it hard to concentrate on school work. Maria Gonzales, a second year student at SFSU, says “Even though I’ve been on my own for a year already, I still get homesick at times. I dont think it ever really goes away, you just learn to live with it. Whenever I feel homesick I like to call my mom and talk to her about whats going on in my life.” According to CNN, students who experience homesickness often feel sad, anxious, and have concurring thoughts of home. As reported by Lathos during a college student survey at Washington College, the cure to this homesickness is to keep in touch with your family members and friends back home. Whenever you feel lonely, your family is only a call away.

Adjusting to college life in general can be quite difficult for incoming freshman. High school is so much different from college. Some students find it very hard to adapt to the new school environment. In high school, students had their parents and teachers to remind them of their responsibilities and in college they have to learn to manage their own time wisely. Without the constant reminder, some choose to slack off. Having an agenda to write important due dates has to proven to be very helpful to students. First year college student at SFSU, Genesis Fabian, says “It has been very difficult for me not having my parents or teachers to remind me of the assignments I have to do. Living on my own, I never have to hear my mother tell to do my homework anymore. I never thought I’d say this but, I actually miss having her around to make sure I get my work done on time.”

Classes in college are drastically different from those in high school. Classes may include up to 100 students and that makes it difficult for students to get one on one time with the professor. Students are also recommended to study 2-3 hours outside of school for every hour in a class. Some students learn to adapt quickly but for those who don’t, college can turn into a horrible experience for them. Some tips on how to survive college are to go to all your classes, do your readings ahead of time, join clubs to meet new people, call your family often, and do not procrastinate! If you do all that, then you’ll do just fine.