About 6,000 freshmen called CU home at the onset of the fall semester. Some have fared well with the adaptation to college life. For some, coping with classes, roommates, a meal plan and an entirely new lifestyle is distressing.
Students who are dealing with homesickness, anxiety or are in need of guidance, as well as their concerned friends, can use campus resources like CU’s Counseling and Psychological Services’ free walk-in support and the How to Help a Friend website.
First year integrated physiology students, Megan Foster and Dana Dow, study for biology near Willard Hall. Foster said, “The toughest adjustment thus far is having to share living space.” (Sara Palandeng/CU Independent)
Mifa Kim, a peer educator at CU’s Counseling and Psychological Services, said that adjusting is an experience that everyone goes through, and it doesn’t make someone weak or unintelligent.
To address initial class difficulties, Kim said that syllabi are good resources for fleshing out the progression of class topics and schedules.
In terms of social life as a college student, Kim said talking to at least one person in each class is a fantastic way to make study buddies and friends.
There are also hundreds of student groups on campus that make great ice-breakers.
Kim advised freshmen learn things about new roommates because respecting each other’s personal space is key to avoiding future conflicts. For suggestions on starting the year off right, check out CU’s 10 Crucial Tips For Getting Along with Your Roommate.
Taylor Marshall, an MCDB major and Farrand resident, was one freshman who had a breezy first couple of weeks on campus.
“It’s been fun, and so much different than I had expected,” Marshall said before adding that living with roommates has been one of the more difficult aspects of the transition.
“I’m not homesick, but I will be,” Marshall said.
Homesickness struck other freshmen sooner, like Sarah Flood, a Farrand resident who aspires to study Integrative Physiology. The kindness that peers and professors have shown her haven’t replaced conversation with her family.
“I am a little homesick because I miss home-cooked meals and clean showers, but I call my mom a lot,” Flood said.
How to Help a Friend hosts “How To Help a Friend Get Together” from 12:30-2:00 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month in the foyer of Norlin Library, with a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 11.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Mary-Lynn Elliott at Marylynn.elliott@colorado.edu.
