What does it feel like to leave the comfort of a school that you have gone to for 13 years, and enter a new life in college? Knowledge provides some pointers to help students.
“I have no clue how I will be able to make a new friend like Savia. I am so upset that she and I will be in different colleges now, and there is no way I can change that. I want to study arts and she wants to study science. After spending almost all our senior school years as partners who sat next to each other in school, it is going to be difficult. I actually thought I could try studying science, just so that we can be together in class again, but that seemed to be stretching the thought a bit too far, my mother explained,” says SSC student
Ishita Mehra, who is feeling the jitters as she prepares to enter a new phase in her academic life – college.
Ishita is not the only student feeling the pangs, thousands of students each year find it difficult to adjust in college after leaving the protected environs of school. “I thought the current generation would not have that much of the problem in getting along since they have all the exposure and they are far less protected in terms of taboos than we were. I am surprised to see that yet, many Ishita and many students in her school are extremely nervous about the situation,” says Gayatri Mehra, Ishita’s mother.
Counselling psychologist Chhaya Sheth says that this transition doesn’t only depend on how fast the generation is and how much exposure the kinds have had. A variety of factors goes into their reactions. “Any person who has to leave a comfort zone and venture out into something new and unknown will be nervous, no matter how much they are looking forward to it. The kids of this generation are no different. They are also bound to feel it. Plus, there is a sense of loss of all the friends and teachers they have known for many years,” she says.
Sheth advises that parents be supportive of their children in helping them out and providing a listening ear whenever needed. She also says that students should be confident and not worried about what happens. “We can find friends anywhere and at any time. Students should not be stuck up in their attitude towards college, and if they keep their minds open, they will find new people to mingle with,” she says.
FYBCom student Jimit Mehta recounts his own experience from a few years ago. “I was tensed as my school friend who was admitted to my college pulled out at the last minute for another better college. Until then, I was relaxed since I knew I would have someone to hang out with in class. When he told me he was moving, I was at a loss. I didn’t want to go to college on the first day, I tried to wriggle out of it, but my mother would not have any of my excuses,” he narrates. After so many years, he laughs, thinking how naive he was! Within the first week of college he met a few students who became part of his friend circle, of which two are his closest friends.
According to Jimit, students who participate in activities and volunteer for student groups will find new people to interact with all the time, which will make college a more fun experience. “All the people you interact with don’t necessarily have to become your close friends, but at least you meet new students and get to listen to different ideas coming from your peers. You also end up exchanging study tips, subject notes and papers, and help out each other when needed,” he says.
Meenal Shah, a class 10 teacher says that she advises her students to be grounded, and always be guided by their values and upbringing. “I also tell the parents to trust them and the atmosphere they create at home instead of worrying about their children. They need to be helpful and supportive, not taunting and sarcastic. They should also let the students take their time to settle in, rather than push for marks immediately,” she says.
In any case, students should be open to experiences, but also be guarded in their approach so that they don’t fall prey to wrongful elements unwittingly, Sheth concludes.
