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Health & Fitness

Transitioning from High School to College Part One

Nationwide, thousands of students are heading off to college for the first time.  They are filled with excitement, hopes, dreams, anticipation.  As well as anxiety, feelings of nervousness, fearfulness of the unknown and many other feelings.  Entering college is a step closer into adulthood.  It's a step towards their independence.  With this step comes the transition.  This transition isn't without bumps.  This can be tough for the student as well as for the family.  I am going to do a few blog posts about the transition from high school to college.  This first post will discuss the initial transition.  
The first few weeks at school can be very overwhelming.  Students are adjusting to a new living situation, new people, making new friends, learning how to get around a new school, figuring out how to try to manage their time, all while missing the familiarity of what they knew from home.  Some students have an easier time adjusting than others.  Parents and family can help to make this initial transition easier for their student by being supportive during this time.  Some signs that your loved one may be having a hard time adjusting and may need some intervention are:
-They have socially withdrawn.  By this I mean they are not interacting with others like they used to.  They start to isolate themselves.  They are not responding to outreach by loved ones and they tend to stay isolated in their rooms alone.
-Their sleeping and/or eating habits are changing
-They are engaging in excessive alcohol and/or drug use
-Their behavior and/or physical appearance is changing
*Make sure that you speak up.  Every college has a counseling center and health center which is normally free for services, as it's included in tuition. 
The first 3 months to a year for students that are dorming are generally the toughest for transitioning and getting used to living away from home.  One major thing that students need to grasp during this time is:
-How to manage their time management.  Living away from home and attending school is a whole different ball game then when they were in high school.  Students have to figure out how to manage when to study, do their homework, socialize, sleep, do their laundry, eat, well you get the idea.  All colleges have a tutoring center that helps with time management.  Counseling centers at colleges can also help with that.

For students that aren't dorming but are commuting to college, the transition is basically the same during this time.  One main difference is commuter students don't get homesick.  But one thing they commonly get more than students that do dorm is a higher stress level.  I see this often.  Students that commute tend to do this in order to stay home and be able to work and help out their families.  Sometimes they have a harder time being able to balance out working almost full time jobs, going to school and being able to do all of their responsibilities on the home front.  There are ways to manage this which I will discuss in a later post.  
Again the family can help their student during the first few weeks of college with the transition by being very supportive and there for them.  

Best of luck to all the students that have just started college!  And I will be in tow with more advice and info on the transition.

Best,
Diana

Diana Telep, LMHC, NCC is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor & National Certified Counselor, with a private practice located in White Plains, NY.  She can be reached at ditelep@gmail.com 
http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/132252
http://ditelep1.wordpress.com/




 

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