NEW ADJUSTMENTS

A common trend that is often seen in most undergraduate students is a decline in ones grades relative to the ones achieved in high school. One possible reason for this decline is generally because the student is unprepared for the academic intensity evident at university. Coming to university unprepared and lacking important skills in organization and time-management are the likely culprits. Yet, this may in turn be caused by the amount of adjustments each student makes when entering university according to the study by Gall et al..

This transition requires adjustment across your life ‘domains’. These domains are:
• Academic
  - Amount of work, nature, and difficulty of material
• Financial
  - Scholarships, bursaries, student loans
• Employment
  - Jobs to pay for tuition
• Interpersonal & family
• Personal events
(Gall et al., 2000)

In addition, according to Jackson and Jarvis’s Longitudinal Study on the transition between educational institutions, the top variables that affect one’s academic success are:

1. Preparation for Studies
2. Adjustment to Institutional System
3. Adjustment to Sociocultural Environment of the University
4. Adjustment to New Living Conditions
5. Intensification of the signs of neurosis*

* Neurosis: A chronic characterologocial split between the ego and a content of the personal unconscious that results in a failure to achieve full maturity, adaptability and awareness (Jackson and Jarvis, 1999).

As you can see, not only do you have to adjust to your life ‘domains’, but to achieve a level of academic success, you also have to adjust to other requirements. Basically, the only advice is to slowly adjust to your new environment. Establishing a social network will benefit you in the short as well as the long-term. According to the study done by Gall et al., the better your social support, the more physical and emotional well-being you experience. This seems credible because your friends help you study or just be someone you can talk to about personal or general issues.