Freshman year is the time when the wind of change starts to blow in the life of a student. Unfortunately, according to the latest surveys of the college freshmen the first year in a new educational establishment is usually the worst time their lives. If you surf on the web, you will most likely face with the latest survey which was performed by the Los Angeles Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California. The survey was first of all dedicated to measuring of what is happening to the freshmen during the first academic year. Its results were based on the detailed answers of 3 680 first year college students from 60 schools to the scope of questions related to every aspect of the student’s life – from emotional and physical well being to financial habits.
The experts point out that first year college students faced with the necessity to live through the first experiences that sometimes turn into a real stress. Although having a wide range of endless opportunities, freshmen are also overburden with the emotions they need to deal with. Just yesterday they were close to their caring and loving parents and today everything is not like it used to be. Some of the findings of the survey point to the higher education first year effect on young adults who are away from their families for the first time in their lives.
According to the findings, 50.4% of college students after freshman year are highly interested in “developing a full, meaningful and solid life philosophy” in comparison to the 42.3% at the very beginning of the academic freshman year. Besides, over the course of the college year, the number of students who wished to assist in the process of “promoting racial understanding” grew by up to 8.8%.
At the same time, the troubling issues were pointed out in the survey. For instance, in the process of examination of financial statements of the first year students, the experts have revealed that almost 60.4% of first year students had overspent their budgets. Besides, 16.7% faced with the “excessive” debt on their credit cards.
One of the typical problems students have to face with during the first academic year in their lives is the physical and emotional health. According to the survey report, the number of students who rate their health “below average” is constantly growing. What are the reasons behind that? First of all, life in college is stressful and, as we know, stress is the biggest health issue that freshmen have to deal with. Lack of sleep, misunderstandings with the family members, poor nutrition and relationship with the college pals – all this weakens the immune system and causes physical ailments.
This article has been written by WorldEssays.com writers.