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Schools

College Bound Students Prepare for Next Step

Incoming freshman have similar feelings of nervousness when entering a new school

With the change of season come a new class of freshmen anxiously awaiting their collegiate career.  They carry duffel bags filled with clothes and heads filled with mixed emotions. 

Multitudes of questions race through a new student’s mind:  How difficult is my course load?  Will I get along with my roommate?  Will I be able to make friends?  These feelings are normal for any incoming freshman.  The majority of the time, things ultimately work out.  After all, college graduates often say how those four years were the best of their life.  However, it doesn't necessarily begin that way.  Adjustment time varies from person to person.  It could take anywhere from weeks to months, but eventually students settle in.

The college has a great deal to do with the transition time. Some colleges have 20 students in a classroom, some a lecture hall of 800. Students attending smaller schools may adjust more quickly, but may be uneasy about getting to know their professors.  There is also the commuter student, who may not have the roommate concerns, but still has many of the other concerns surrounding college life. 

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Whatever is it, students have multiple thoughts racing through their minds when they enter school.  Change is definitely a good thing, and a triumph over the emotions wins out in the end, providing a positive college experience.  Sam Weinberg, 18, of New City has high hopes for his future at Syracuse University.

“I’m nervous and anxious, but mostly anxious and excited for the new experience,”  Weinberg said.

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Greg Issak, 18, of New City will be attending Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).  His emotions were similar to Weinberg’s. “I’m nervous, but I’m looking forward to it,”  Issak said.

"I'm equally as terrified as I am excited. This is really the first time I'm going to be on my own, and it's kind of absurd to think that now I have to do my own laundry and watch how much I spend. But I'm definitely comforted in knowing that soon I will be comfortable, and everything will become familiar to me within 4 years." said Frances Calingo, 17, from Congers attending McGill University.

"I'm super excited about freshman year," said Darian Marchetto, 18, from New City attending the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. "I've basically been waiting my whole life to live in New York City and now it's finally happening so that's really cool. I'm going to school for musical theatre so all of my courses are generated around that for example dance classes, voice lessons, scene work. I'm really excited to be doing something that I love so much and basically just be surrounded by it 24/7."

Next week will feature the varying tuition costs between public and private schools as well as commuting from home vs. going away to school.

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