The transition to college life can prove to be a challenge for incoming freshmen.

Heightened levels of stress spurred by homesickness, academic difficulties, sleep deprivation and an over-exaggerated drinking schedule, among other things, can lead to an overload for first-year students trying to juggle new emotions and responsibilities.

Maintaining self control

“There’s a range of emotions,” said Richard Long, psychologist from the NIU Counseling and Student Development Center.

“Much of it is driven by an anxiety of missing home. Some students go home every weekend as a way of coping with that,” he said, indicating NIU’s status as a “suitcase school.”

For those who choose to stay on campus, newly-discovered freedom combined with a lack of parental control, can sometimes lead to disastrous consequences.

“Some students come to the university and initially do quite well, because they are mature enough to handle the newfound freedom,” Long said. “Then, there are other people for which the freedom is brand new to them, and they feel compelled to test limitations and do whatever they want, which often-times results in experimentation with alcohol and going to parties.”

It would not surprise anyone that a great many students, including underage freshmen, take part in drinking.

The reason behind this, Long says, can be traced back to homesickness.

“I believe that it’s a measure used to cope with anxiety, to make them feel less anxious,” Long said. “You’re meeting new people and adjusting to being separated from your family for the first time.”

Beware the snooze button

One routine that can be rudely disrupted upon arrival to college, whether by overindulgence in alcohol or other substances, or simply laziness, is a student’s sleeping pattern.

“One of the things people struggle with is getting enough sleep,” Long said. “Students stay up late and get up late, and get into unhealthy sleeping patterns,” he said.

Many students agree with this theory.

“I think I stay up later than normal and sleep later than normal,” said Derek Weider, a freshman business major. “No one is around to tell me what to do, so I usually go to bed around one or two in the morning,” he said.

Learning to grow

Beginning students who party a tad too heartily may become victims to their own lack of scholastic drive.

“With class itself, some students take it seriously right from the start. Others, however, may take a while and may neglect going to class,” Long said. “By doing this, they start the semester in a hole and spend the rest of the semester trying to dig out of it.”

To avoid the anxiety and depression that can come with all these changes and academic, as well as social responsibilities, the key is to find their place in the university, Long said.

“I know from experience that one of the things that is important for success is finding your niche; finding meaningful involvement on campus,” Long said. “It makes the university a lot smaller and more livable. That’s a big challenge for some folks to get connected in ways that matter to them, but whatever they can do to get connected is an important step.”

The bottom line, Long said, is to grow within the university environment.

“You need to learn to bloom where you are planted,” he said.

Justin Weaver is a Campus Reporter for the Northern Star.