Fears about College Life Adaptation: “I thought I wouldn’t Survive”

While I was studying in high-school, I started to get myself ready for college, meaning that I had to improve my grades and get prepared to my LSAT, as I wanted to get to an Ivy League school. My parents are lawyers, and I have always been fascinated by their work, and my overwhelming desire to help those in need led me to the decision to become a lawyer myself.

The day came, and I got accepted to one of the most prestigious law schools in the U.S. Every day before the school year was like a dream: I planned how I would decorate my dorm room, went with my parents to IKEA to pick up some décor and furniture. After everything had been arranged, I was finally left on my own to start my studying.

Now, the thing about every law school is that you’re often pretty much on your own. It’s hard to find new friends and get any kind of support because the general atmosphere here is very competitive. I didn’t understand it then, but when our teacher told us to “prepare for a cut-throat competition”, I got really scared. I realized that an innocent former high-school student can hardly adapt easily in a place like this.

So my first fear was: will I be able to conquer this competition?

To be fair, my first semester wasn’t very successful. I was constantly off balance and I couldn’t pull myself together. Honestly, I spend too much time trying to make new friends, but none of my classmates were interested. None of them wanted me in their studying groups and no one invited me to hang out.

I wasn’t paying enough attention to my lectures and seminars, I completely lost interest in studying cases. As the result, I almost failed three of my four exams.

That’s when I realized: I don’t need anyone’s approval to do what I came here for. What really helped me is to restate my primary goal for myself. When I realized that I spend too much attention on what’s not really important, I focused all my energy on studying and achieving my goal. By the end of the second semester, my grades have gotten better and my professors started noticing me and my achievements.

The lesson here: don’t be afraid of competition. Be afraid to lose your purpose.

My homework fear turned out to be a result of a poor time management

As I concentrated on studying, I noticed that I started drowning in homework. When you’re in a law school, you are often required to take additional tasks, apart from general homework. I get to do a lot of reading and making notes, not to mention tons of cases you need to study and analyze by your next class.

This has resulted in sleepless nights and a lot of frustration. My health started to suffer. And as I didn’t want it to impact my academic performance, I had to stop and think about what I was doing wrong.

When studying, there are times when you get to do a lot of homework to prepare for your exams. That’s when it’s crucial to understand the importance of taking a break. When you take a break, you allow your brain to recharge, and it’s important if you want it to continue functioning. Once I had an episode when I completely blacked out after 8 hours of studying without a single break.

I would recommend not to overload your brain with unnecessary information when having a break. That is, you need to put away your laptop or smartphone and let your head rest. I decided to take my break time more productively and got into the habit of going to the gym. I found that physical exercises help my body and brain recharge, and give me a lot of energy to continue with studying.

If you struggle with homework, you need to remember that it’s completely OK to ask for help. I was struggling to find homework help until I found a platform with essay writing service reviews, which helped me find the credible sites to help me with my assignments. There’s plenty of information online, and you should take advantage of that.

I was afraid I was going to lose my true self

When you’re a freshman at college, you quickly get dragged into the tons of homework and busy lifestyle pretty quickly. You often don’t have time to continue with your hobbies or to find any new interests.

I started a YouTube channel when I was in high school, but with the whole admission process I couldn’t continue shooting videos and posting them. But after months of tiresome studying and sleepless nights, I realized that I need a distraction. Going to the gym wasn’t enough, so I decided to resurrect my old YouTube hobby. I started posting videos on a weekly basis, telling others about my struggles as a law student. I’ve found it very refreshing, as it felt like I was meeting my friends to discuss our student life together once a week.

Your hobbies and interests define you as a personality, and they also bring you a lot of new opportunities. Since I started being active on YouTube again, I have been invited several times to be a mentor for other first-year students. So my dream has been partially fulfilled: I’m helping those in need.

Wrapping up

As a conclusion, I want to remind you that bravery and perseverance can conquer all your fears. Don’t be afraid of getting a bad dorm neighbor – you can always change a room. Don’t be afraid of your professors – they only judge you by your academic performance, so work on that.

Be confident that you’ll overcome all your fears. You just need a little more experience. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes. They are also a great way to learn. Failure is not a reason to stop. It’s a reason to move forward. Hopefully, my story will inspire you to pull yourself out of your fears and improve yourself every day to fulfill your true purpose. Thank you for your attention and good luck!