Stepping into a brand-new life on a college campus is an exciting moment—a significant milestone. The idea of partying at the “cool” places, decorating the dorm with your roommate, and making instant friendships are all a part of the college experience you’ve seen on the screen growing up. Looks realistic and effortless, right? Well…maybe not. There are a couple of untold truths Hollywood didn’t portray on screen.
For example, homesickness can hit you unexpectedly. There’s so much joy in leaving home for the first time, and it can quickly shift into a sudden wave of sadness once you’re on campus, missing home in a flash. How can you reduce homesickness? Do you stay in your dorm and cry until it’s time to go home for the break? Obviously not. While homesickness is a normal part of the experience, there are healthy ways to cope and make the campus feel like a home away from home.
“How I deal with homesickness is calling home and looking forward to those breaks,” said Adelle Patton. She is a first-year student at Gallaudet University, originally from Washington State. She added that finding a sense of community on campus has also helped her adjust. Finding a sense of belonging is an important part of the college transition and allows you to grow as a person.
Gallaudet offers Counseling and Psychological Services for those who need support, helping them feel more at ease during their transition to college life. The purpose of CAPS is to support students’ mental health and emotional well-being. CAPS also provides counseling and mental health resources to help students manage stress, anxiety, homesickness, academic pressure, and personal challenges. The goal is to help students feel supported, build healthy coping methods, and thrive both academically and personally during their time at Gallaudet.
If you thought you’d have a ton of free time between classes, you’re in for a rude awakening. Those gaps in your schedule quickly fill with homework, studying, club meetings, and the pressure to stay on top of everything. The stress of balancing academics and personal life doesn’t just live in your head. It takes a toll both emotionally and physically, leaving students feeling drained, overwhelmed, and constantly racing against the clock.
Mary Figueroa, a second-semester freshman, has experienced firsthand the pressure of trying to stay on top of everything. “At first, balancing academics, student organizations, sports, and personal life felt overwhelming because I didn’t have a plan,” said Figueroa. She explained that activities often conflicted with her homework, making it difficult to manage her time effectively. To address this, she began to use a calendar to organize her schedule and communicate clearly about when she was available to participate. “I usually focus on homework during the week and reserve weekends for personal time,” she said. “This approach helps me stay on top of school, activities, and my personal life.” The pressure of staying on top of things is challenging, and finding a balance between academics and personal time is key to avoiding burnout.
At the beginning of the fall semester, freshman students were assigned to a Bison Mentor to support them during their first year at Gallaudet. The purpose of meeting with the Bison Mentor is to check on how students are adjusting and to see if they need any assistance. It also provides a safe and welcoming space for new students to discuss any concerns or challenges with those other than academic advisors and professors.
“I usually focus on homework during the week and reserve weekends for personal time,” she said. “This approach helps me stay on top of school, activities, and my personal life.”
Meeting your roommate for the first time is supposed to be the most exciting part of living in a dorm. You imagined that you’d be instant best friends with zero awkwardness. Wrong. The reality is navigating, sharing a small space with a stranger and learning how to coexist with each other.
This situation highlights how common it is for college freshmen to adjust to sharing a living space, and it takes time. According to some freshmen, the most important part of sharing a dorm with a roommate is good communication, respecting each other, and being on the same page about rules and responsibilities. Those are the major keys to successfully living in and sharing a space with someone else.
New Student Orientation Week is a week-long orientation for first-year students. In my experience, it was amazing how those events helped me transition from high school to college. For example, some presentations focused on campus resources and how to use them. Then some events are more social. Around the World is a wonderful event that allows students to discover new foods from different countries. It was also a perfect place for freshmen to socialize with other peers. New Student Orientation Week’s goal is to prepare new students and feel more at ease in a new environment.
The spring semester has started, and freshman students have already begun to experience college life. Many are now balancing classes, assignments, social lives, and extracurricular activities for the first time. While the transition can be challenging, students are gradually finding their rhythm and learning how to manage their own responsibilities.