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Home Student life Psychologist's blog Adaptation: recommendations for freshmen

Adaptation: recommendations for freshmen

The process of adaptation of first-year students to study at a university consists of adapting to new conditions of educational activity and communication. For beginning students, this is a complex process that may be accompanied by the following difficulties:

1) the emergence of negative experiences associated with the loss of status as a student, school friends, transfer to a new team, separation of nonresident students from their parents;

2) uncertainty of motivation for choosing a profession, insufficient psychological preparation for it;

3) inability to carry out psychological self-regulation of behavior and activity, aggravated by the lack of daily control of teachers;

4) search for an optimal regime of work and rest in new conditions;

5) establishing everyday life and self-service, especially when moving from home to a hostel;

6) lack of independent work skills, inability to take notes, etc.

Social psychologists say that an adult adapts to a new team for approximately 3 months. In young people, this period usually lasts from 2 weeks to 1 month. However, for some, the adaptation process lasts for one to two years, which can cause overstrain, and the student cannot not only develop new ways of behavior, but also perform the types of activities familiar to him. Such long-term adaptation is associated primarily with social rather than academic adaptation, which mainly occurs during the first and second semesters. A student often has to adapt to the space of not only the university, but also a new city, a new cultural environment.

What can be done to ensure that the process of adaptation to new conditions is effective? Don’t run away from it, but accept it and actively participate in the process! We offer several effective strategies for adapting a freshman to studying at a university.

You are enrolled in the first year! Regardless of your motivation - “I want to become a specialist” or “just to get a diploma” - realize that your daily routine and life in general will be different. You have a new social status, which means you will have to set new priorities. It is important to accept and realize this.

At the beginning of your appearance in a new team, the first impression of you is formed. According to the results of numerous psychological studies, the first impression is formed quickly: from 10 to 40 seconds, and has a strong influence on all subsequent attitudes towards you. If the first impression is favorable, then it will be easier to study in a group. If you are tense and unfriendly, the team will develop a corresponding image.

In your first classes, try to show yourself in the eyes of your teachers from a good point of view. Be attentive and collected, ask teachers questions about the subject.

Get a notebook or diary and write down in detail for a week (or month) which days you have classes, in which pair and in which building of the university. This will help organize your day. It would seem, why? After all, you can copy the schedule from the university website and then print it out! But this narrows the field of your perception and it will be difficult to navigate in time. By keeping your own diary, you will find that you still have free time.

Train your memory when studying disciplines and do not overload yourself with the need to remember when the fourth period begins, what the name of the teacher is, in which building and on what floor a certain audience is located, etc. Write down all this background information in a notebook or phone.

This is not difficult, the main thing is to develop a system of symbols and abbreviations that you understand. Write down all the symbols along with the decoding on the back of the notebook cover. When taking notes, do not skimp on paper. Leave margins in your notebook for additional notes. Remember that a lecture is not a dictation, so you do not need to take notes word for word after the lecturer. Record the lecture in the form of abstracts.

Don't be discouraged if you don't succeed right away. Note-taking requires practice. If you feel that you are hopelessly behind, leave some free space in your notebook - perhaps others will have time to write everything down, and after the lecture you will copy from them, filling in these gaps.

There are many teachers and all with different requirements. But in one thing the teachers’ point of view coincides: a successful student = independent and responsible.

Listen carefully to the teacher talking to you, do not interrupt. If you do not agree with the grade, ask him to explain why you have such a score and whether it is possible to correct it, then you will not have difficulties in your relationship with the teachers.

Divide the disciplines into those that you master well and those in which you experience difficulties. To avoid accumulating unlearned material by the end of the semester, approach the teacher teaching the discipline and tell them about your difficulties! A teacher who shows sincere interest in his discipline will most likely tell you how to master the subject better.

You can reduce anxiety through exercise. Jogging, long walks, oriental practices and swimming are especially appropriate. Serious overwork should be avoided. If your anxiety is chronic, keep a diary detailing your condition and the ways that helped you feel better.

Leaving difficult tasks or problems for later is clearly not a good idea (they can accumulate like a snowball). Resolve them as soon as possible.

Be tolerant of your fellow students, all people are different, do not try to change them. Speak openly if you disagree with something and ask others to give reasons for their actions.

Try not to pay attention to someone’s taunts, turn everything into a joke.

Don't discuss others. Watch yourself and your words. Remember that a carelessly thrown word can hurt a person.

If you notice that the team is divided into separate groups, try not to join them and communicate with everyone.

If you see that your classmate has problems, and you have free time, do not hesitate to offer him help. This will always be positively appreciated by your classmates and teachers.

Try to distribute the load so as to leave Sunday or a holiday free. On this day, just forget that you are a student! An endless series of classes on holidays and weekends does not make life more beautiful or study more interesting.

Psychological Service of the State University named after. Sh.Ualikhanova is always next to you!