To any parent the first day of college for their son is a great one. It is even greater to the student. You get to meet new people, live life on the first lane and party all night. Yes, this is arguably the life that most of the new university students expect once they enroll. But usually, the situation on the ground is slightly different. Yes, there are the parties, you get to meet a great deal of new people from different backgrounds but, most students tend to forget that this is the first time that they are staying away from their parents and taking what would seemingly be their first baby steps to independence.
Initially, the freedom is very tempting for the students and they could never be happier to be away from the controlling parents but as research by My Voucher Codes shows, life in university quickly throws in a nasty turn.
The research
The first year university student drop-out rate research conducted was quite simple and straightforward. It involved about 1,200 students over the holiday and found out that about 28% of those that had been interviewed had quite their degree courses or were seriously considering quitting by the time their first year of university was coming to a close. These are staggering numbers that raise eyebrows. The question is, why would students who were so excited about joining an institution of higher learning suddenly want to quit? Luckily, the same research has answers to the same question.
Finance
Most students probably never budget for this. With all the partying and entertaining of guests, there is a sufficient amount of money that is required to support such a lifestyle. Also, the lack of proper money management skills sees most of the students spend the little that is sent to them by the parents of mediocre items and end up being broke. There is nothing as painful and disorienting as being broke in school. It is hard to get work and at the same time, it is difficult to ask for more funds from parents.
Dissatisfaction with their course
Joining university with the course of your dreams is a great scenario. However, once you quickly realize the amount of work that is needed to get the degree and without sufficient guidance and counselling, students quickly start seeing the course as a burden. The deadlines, the lectures, late nights and daunting exams make life hard enough for them to want to leave. It is not anything remotely close to what they had bargained for.
Social anxiety
Universities happen to be socially intensive. Not being liked by someone popular could see you make your life a living hell trying to impress them. You want to be part of the cool kids club and even more importantly, you want to be accepted. All these are factors that can make the student develop a social anxiety that makes the university life excruciatingly difficult for them. Trying to impress so many people and working hard to fit in is not something that most students would imagine themselves doing but it is how life in universities work.
Most students in institutions of higher learning will tell you that these are the issues they face in their first year, and it takes a strong mind and will to be able to overcome them. Running into a life where everyone is waiting for you to mess up is not easy and even worse, there is the fact that the life they had imagined has many twists, turns and challenges that they were not prepared for. Perhaps better advice could help them prepare and be more aware of what would be expected of them in the next chapter of their educational journey.
