Built-in supports at help freshman adjust as they face college workload stress

Students dance at the Bulldog Bash, a part of LAUNCH weekend.

Photo credit: Dylan Buechler

By Mi-Ree Zwick

Freshmen have found their own connections with the Concordia community as they navigate challenging academic workloads during their first two full months on campus.    

Concordia helps suppport incoming students through LAUNCH weekend, when new students move in, which is intended to help incoming students adjust before the academic year officially begins by helping them meet people and get used to the campus layout.    

Freshman Caleb Brandon said that LAUNCH weekend was one of the lowest points of his college experience so far.

He said that he struggled to find his friend group and still has not found a place where he could say that he has a specific group of friends.

Brandon said that he tends to spend time with a lot of different friend groups, but not a specific group, and said he felt pressured by the expectation to find a group of lifelong friends instantly at college.

“It’s not something that’s necessarily achievable, or even a good goal to try and achieve, especially during the first week during LAUNCH,” said Brandon.

Brandon said that by this point in the semester, most members of the freshman class have found their place.

Everyone on campus, students and faculty, are approachable, contributing to positive experiences.

Freshman Meighan Smith said that her experience at Concordia has been a lot better than she originally expected. Smith is on the shooting sports and powerlifting teams and said that LAUNCH helped her form connections with people and bond with her dorm.

Smith said that she has seen other freshmen finding their own communities throughout the start of the school year, particularly among athletes who connected through their sports.

Freshman Moses Knerl has had a slightly different experience because he has family who are currently students at Concordia.  This helped him know what to expect, but LAUNCH weekend was still somewhat overwhelming.

“LAUNCH weekend was a lot for me personally,” said Knerl, “but it actually did help me form friend groups as I moved in.”

Knerl also said that he struggled with time management in college, which is a common sentiment shared by Brandon and Smith.

Smith said that she learned that it is important to know your priorities, manage your time and to not let yourself burn out.

Freshman Lucy Eggleston said that everyone seemed fine whenever she would look around, but later found out that they were struggling just as much as she was.

“I feel like on the outside we all kind of fake it ‘til we make it,” said Eggleston.

She said that it was encouraging and assuring to know that she wasn’t alone, allowing her to work harder and finish difficult tasks.

Freshmen Hannah Kirschner and Elise Rothert, along with Brandon, Eggleston, and Smith have said that they believe that the other freshmen are adjusting well to college life, but that may not always be the case.

Other freshmen have found the transition into the college school workload can be difficult to balance with their emotional health and their social lives.

Rothert said that she has been feeling homesick and knows that others are experiencing similar problems.

Rothert said some students have a longer adjustment period than others, but that everyone knows that they can rely on each other and receive support from the school.

Student Giovanni Sanchez, said that the beginning of the semester was brutal for him and he was in survival mode.

“When I came here, I was a child,” said Sanchez, “and now I’m still a child.”

Sanchez admitted that he dropped some classes because it was too much for him to handle even though he enjoys the classes he is taking.

He would have difficulty even reading the Bible in the morning or at night, even as an aspiring pastor.

Sanchez said that while this has been a good experience, it has also been a humbling experience.

There are also other university sponsored tools for freshmen after LAUNCH ends.

Student Services hosts an event in the fall to help students stay organized with their planner or in accessing student portals, according to Concordia’s Director of Counseling Services Kathy L’Heureux.

Concordia’s Academic Resource Center supports students with tutoring opportunities. The counseling office offers therapeutic support for students who are struggling with mental health, daily life and overall stress.

L’Heureux said that most freshmen struggle with adjusting to campus life, transitioning from high school to college and learning how to manage their time.

“I want to normalize how stressors are through different seasons of life,” said L’Heureux, “and I stress to students how college, that freshman year, is your new season of life.”

She said challenges during freshman year are opportunities for growth and connection with others.