The first issue concerning many new students is the notorious image of academic intensity that is associated with this level of education. This scares even the best high school graduates. The challenge is clearly time-consuming just as much as it is laborious. For many students this is where the true battle is fought. Trying to hold down a job on top of the demanding school work can add to this burden and make things even worse. Unfortunately, many students are obligated to do so in order to pay for their college tuition. This issue causes concern-filled faces of countless incoming freshmen to flood the campus. To add to the stress, many students feel they are unprepared and worry about their academic abilities as well as the quality of their work. The extremity of exams seems to be too much of a stretch for many students. Furthermore, the most glaring issue may be that in spite of all the tough college work, incoming students believe college professors will be stiff and unwilling to help. “I was nervous because of the teaching differences,” said Cornerstone sophomore Kevin Fisher when referring to the time leading up to his freshman year at the university. It is a recognized belief that college professors do not hold students accountable to do their school work as high school teachers did for them in the past. The shock of academic independency will seduce them with lethargy and strike them with a ferocious bang. Academic issues are some of the most applicable issues concerning new students.
The second issue is social related. For many, this new journey on life’s road is a path of sad endings and fearful new beginnings. Being uprooted from your life-long friends and thrust into meeting new people – OUCH! That seems harsh. As if the pain of leaving their best friends was not enough, now they have to make new ones; but it is part of life for these new adults who are facing many changes in their young lives. It is no wonder they spend much of their time prior to leaving fretting about such things. In fact, meeting new people and making new friends is only the outskirts of the issue; a majority of students must deal with dorm life apprehension. This involves meeting your roommate as well as your dormmates. It can obviously bring up many different concerns for different people. Of course, they wonder how well they will get along with their roommate, but they may also wonder how adaptable the dorm hall will be to themselves. For many people these social issues are of the foremost concern to them because this is life as they know it.
The third issue facing these young adults is the uncertainty of independency. The thoughts of being surrounded by debt, the pressure of getting a job, and trying to keep up with school work is too much for many students. “The young adult has to negotiate a whole new world with less parental supervision or involvement than at any previous time in his life,” said Dr. Smith. On top of this, the little things such as having to do their own laundry or trying to find a church keep popping into their minds. This new level of independency causes so much anxiety for certain students that a countless number of them wonder if they will make it on their own. Clearly the doubt and insecurity that independency can bring plays a big part in their new lives.
The fourth issue, a strong concern for many students, is family related. Most students start the grieving process of missing family members before they even leave! The precious, adorable, and unforgettable moments they have witnessed begin to flood their minds. It can “tug hard on the heartstrings,” as Dr. Smith puts it. Leaving their family is a sad moment which causes many students to breakdown emotionally. Furthermore these students begin to realize the wonderful support they received from their family, and fear the burden of having to bear life’s struggles alone.
It may be difficult at first, but fortunately Cornerstone University helps these students make a smooth transition into their new life. The expanding fears students experience as they leave their own driveways and pull into Cornerstone’s driveway is erased in the flood of new academic opportunities, caring professors, kind friends, and continued family support.
The first solution found at Cornerstone is the new way students begin to look at academics. As these students begin a new stage in their lives they start to realize new academic opportunities and possibilities. They begin to make connections between academics and their future careers. Although he says Cornerstone “rips him off,” Donny Irving, a Cornerstone sophomore admits, “They prepare me for my future endeavors.” Overall, students begin to see the usefulness in what they are learning and even enjoy it to a point. This is the focus of their education – this is what they have been working towards. The material they are learning will stretch them, force them to grow, and help them to succeed in their future careers and lives. Even the rigorous and demanding classes will payoff, in that they teach discipline, an important value in the labor force. The academic field at Cornerstone not only enables these students to go into the real world, but it gives them the confidence to do so.
The second solution is that students find that their professors actually care. They do not live up to the stereotypical, superior professor image that is taught in high schools; they go beyond this tempting ideal with a caring attitude. John Wallace, a freshman at Cornerstone, said, “They get involved in an emotional level that I don’t think would happen at another school.” Whether it is praying specifically for the students before class, carefully explaining the lessons, or patiently answering questions, they rarely fail to care. These professors do not take a superiority mentality to class as many professors of other colleges may, but instead they take a shepherding mentality with them. The fact that they seek to guide their flock of students both in school and out is comforting. Students can be confident that Cornerstone professors will guide, stretch, and comfort them during their years at Cornerstone.
The third solution students find is that fellow Cornerstone students care about them. Cornerstone’s friendly environment spreads like fire among those who wish to partake in it. Granted some students neglect this gift, but students who look for friendly faces are bound to find them. There are many loving, Christ-centered students at Cornerstone who seek to build up the Christian community on campus by reaching out to fellow students. The friendliness of fellow Cornerstone students makes the transition much easier for the new students, and is one of the most notable reasons why many students are able to adjust so quickly.
The fourth solution students find is that the new sense of independency that they are rushed into turns out for the best. Dorm life, over time, teaches students to be more independent in a real-life sense. They may not rent an apartment or own a home off-campus, but they are responsible for their own living space. Through these times students learn to adapt to and even enjoy diversity. It is also natural for them to pick up a greater sense of responsibility. In fact, best of all, students are tested and stretched in their faith (Fisher). Moreover, independency is also learned unconsciously over the first few weeks of handling the busyness of schoolwork, jobs, and other such events. During this time students gain confidence in themselves and their ability to handle the real world. By the time they go home for Christmas, over a span of only three-and-a-half months, these young adults are brand new people. Independency can be a great thing because it teaches responsibility and at the same time ushers many young adults into adulthood.
The fifth solution that students find is that their family still cares. Above all, the people that really matter in their lives, and the ones that have been there for them for their whole lives – their family – will still be there for them. Whether they are across the world or across the road, a family’s love is never-ending. These new students find out how much their families care for and love them during these times. Whether it is a thoughtful card, a care package, or a call to say “We’re thinking of you,” families are still families. Their family’s support will be ever-present and much more appreciated during these times.
Leaving for college is tough – that is inevitable – but it does not have to remain that way, and at Cornerstone University it does not. Here, new students are amazed that resistance is met with a compassionate hand. Fisher, when reflecting on his first semester at Cornerstone, said, “I found that I did enjoy college.” Students are going to go through many changes and crises during these times and it will be difficult, but Cornerstone does not leave them to deal with these issues alone. Rather, Cornerstone fosters a friendly Christian environment to help students overcome difficulties and eventually grow. A compassionate and graceful person is willing to help vulnerable and weak people rather than expose them. That is what Cornerstone University does – they are compassionate and graceful to students in need, and helpful and encouraging to students who are seeking to grow in academics, life, and godliness.
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Works Cited
Fisher, Kevin. Email interview. 4 Oct. 2006.
Irving, Donny. Personal interview. 8 Oct. 2006.
Smith, Scott. “Psychology: Leaving home for college can be tough … for parents.” FAMILY LIVING (2006). 7 Oct. 2006
Wallace, John. Personal interview. 7 Oct. 2006.
Copyright 2007 by Timothy C. Devaney
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