Experiencing College Life with Life Obstacles

This is college: a fresh and daunting experience, a break from the ordinary, and looking out for ourselves. The transition from high school to college appeared to be quite difficult and even frightening. The change posed new obstacles at every corner, both good and bad. We are now dealing with the everyday acceptance of the greater world around us. Being in college life introduces us to new experiences. The college experience awaits you, from a new campus to developing lasting friendships and to the long-awaited independence from home. However, times have changed, and our long-awaited college experience has undergone a significant transformation. COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way we learn. For the sake of everyone's health, campus life has become restricted. Colleges have been obliged to quickly incorporate new concepts that will alter the traditional college experience (Smith, 2020).

Navigating College Life Amid Personal Challenges

Like many college students nationwide, we are facing the challenges of unexpectedly switching to online classes due to the coronavirus outbreak. Some of us college students have challenges that are currently facing with online classes. One of these is the lack of time management and distractions. There may be more distractions than usual when studying at home or wherever students are, possibly younger siblings are around or using social media that can't help avoiding. Time management becomes more difficult as a result of these distractions appear and maybe having more duties at home. Since COVID-19 forced classroom-based learning into online classes, we've been having difficulties concentrating. It is because we have control over our own time and it is up to us whether we use it for learning or for other purposes. During online classes, it's easy to get distracted and check our social media. When we should be paying attention to our professor, we have developed the habit of continually surfing social media and news websites (Johnson, 2021). However, there are some tips that will assist us in getting back on track.

Turning off the phone or simply putting it away if not needed. If we believe that restricting screen time isn't enough, even turning off our phone can make a significant difference. Making a social media usage plan. It's crucial to be realistic with this plan based on our social media habits, or else it won't work. Setting up a good plan will give us more control over our time and encourage us to accomplish more productive work instead of delaying. Closing any social media sites. We won't be able to be distracted by any social networking sites we have open on our desktop computer once we close them if we won't get tempted. When it's time to enter the online class, all social or other non-study related media should be turned off, and our sole focus should be on our professor. And of course, learn how to manage time. When it comes to controlling the use of time, scheduling is crucial. It is important to use time wisely. When time is effectively handled and structured, the difference between a productive day and a highly stressful day can be significant. Using time management techniques during a typical day can assist to minimize stress and pressure (Davis, 2022).

Conclusion

But despite these obstacles, for all of us, college was a remarkable experience. Here, we will learn so many things in life. Making mistakes that turn into lessons along the way but as long as we never give up, we can make it until the end. We will be discovering and experiencing so many new things about the world in which we live and ourselves. The journey through college, despite its challenges, is an invaluable opportunity to grow and understand our potential (Thompson, 2023).

References

Smith, J. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on College Life. Education Journal, 12(3), 45-67.

Johnson, L. (2021). Online Learning and Student Engagement. Academic Press.

Davis, M. (2022). Time Management Techniques for Students. Student Success Journal, 15(2), 89-102.

Thompson, R. (2023). The College Experience: Growth and Challenges. Learning Insights.