Dear Sam,
I’m sure you’ve heard of the challenges of college life such as tuition prices, time management, workload, and the various stressors of living on your own. What I had wished I was more prepared for was, the challenge of carrying on in your classes when going through stress from your personal life. I’ve heard it said that college is an introduction to adult life. Because of this, working through times of emotional distress in college is good practice for adult life. It is important to clarify that universities typically have a policy that allows students to take a leave of absence when in serious emotional distress such as loss of a close loved one, but what about the less significant forms of grief? Like loss of a beloved pet? Or a breakup from a romantic partner?
In my experience, stressors in this category can be particularly challenging to deal with in college, especially during one’s first year. Along the way, I’ve learned some methods to cope and prevent these stressors from affecting my academics. First off, the act of writing out a schedule for the week or the day is a practical practice that helped me a lot. I think organizing my schedule, helped me feel less disorganized. It also frees your mind to focus on one problem at a time. The biggest lesson I learned, was knowing when to ask for help. The truth is, if it’s truly a hindrance to your academics, your professors (most likely) will want to find a way to help you work around it. It’s important to remember you’re not alone when going through these things, and whether it be from tutors, professors, or advisors there’s help available to you because knowing when to ask for help is part of adulthood.
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I wish you the best,
Vince LomBarbie