Incoming Students’ Fears of College
By: Jessi Zamorano-Saucedo
Staff Writer
No matter what students may think, College is not high school part two. College is a place that expects the best out of students regardless of what other responsibilities may overwhelm their lives.
The first few weeks of college can be a bit unnerving, as it can be a completely different environment from high school. A lot more is expected out of the student, no matter how many jobs, pets, or children they may be responsible for.
“My biggest fear is to not pass any of my classes and let down my family and not complete my goals for the year,” said Anthony Perez, a senior in high school partaking in the Running Start program.
Perez is not alone in this feeling. It is also important to consider that there are a significant amount of international students who are traveling far from their home country to get their degree. Being thrust not only into a new academic environment, but also a into new country that speaks a language they may not know can make communicating significantly difficult.
“[There are] lots of people [from] different culture backgrounds [at the college]”, said Nianchu Shen, an international student studying at Green River.
Shen believes that going to college as an international student is a completely different experience from local students.
Not only do they have to make sure they are keeping up with assignments like everyone else, they also have to learn how to interact within a different cultural setting and in some cases have to take on extra course work in order to properly learn the English language. Despite this steep learning curve for both international and local students, Green River is known for its welcoming atmosphere, expansive forest trails, and obliging professors, all of which are here to help students succeed.
When coming to Green River College on the first day of the quarter, students fear that they may not be able to find their class on time, that they may collapse under stress, or struggle to choose their major. These fears are universal in any academic setting, and it is important to know that of the 8,153 enrolled at the school, every last one of them were just as afraid on their first day.
College may seem like an intimidating beast at first glance, but as the months go by, students realize that this may be the best time of their lives.
It may be difficult at some moments, but at others it proves to be a place where peers and professors learn how to grow together, all in order to help build a better world for the generations to come.
