The Fall 2009 semester saw Texas Tech boast a total enrollment of 30,054. More than 4,000 freshmen have almost completed their first semester, but about 80 percent are likely to return, according to the retention rate for 2008 reported by the Office of Institution Research and Information.
For many students, coming to college is more than an escape from parents, from the dull halls of high school or the monotonous toil of the working world. For others, the change is harder to make. Sharla Boyd, assistant director for the Student Counseling Center, has seen the effects of college life on freshmen.
“Students experience some homesickness in the form of missing family, friends, familiar environments, etc. Depending on what their level of independence was before, a student may have some difficulty in setting their own structure for balancing studying, social life and taking care of themselves,” Boyd said. “There may be cultural differences such as moving from a large city to a smaller town that take some time learning to adjust to. Forming new social relationships and making choices given all the options of what to be involved with can feel overwhelming.”
Shayla Szaloy, a sophomore general studies major from Tucumcari, N.M., said after working for a few years after graduating high school, college was her chance to make her life better.
“As a freshman, I was very focused,” Szaloy said. “I realized I didn’t want to do this forever and wanted to improve my life.”
Once students begin to embrace the experience, college is a great time of growth, said Elvis Lafosse, a junior communications major from Lubbock. Everyone has to realize there are good and bad results of college, but college freshmen have to adjust.
“When I was a freshman, I had looked forward to what seemed like the next natural step,” Lafosse said. “College opens doors when you’re finished; while you’re here, it’s a learning experience. You get the chance to experience things you didn’t have the opportunity to try in high school.”
Jose Valenciano, University Student Housing director, said between semesters, the number of residents in the halls remains fairly constant. There are students who don’t make the grades and can’t come back, but the policy requiring freshmen to live on campus is designed to keep them wanting to come back after those first months.
“Living on campus lets students feel more connected to the school,” Valenciano. “Once students get used to sharing the space with someone else, they realize students have more support here for studying, socializing and can more easily participate in the school’s traditions.”
For those freshmen returning, Boyd is hopeful. She said college is a wonderful time of growing into adulthood and learning many new things that are a combination of overwhelming, difficult, scary, thrilling, fun.
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