<p>Hello, I’m new to the site and just wanted to ask if my behavior before I leave to College would be considered “normal”. </p>
<p>Since I graduated in June I’ve been extremely anxious to leave for College, but then I’m scared to.
I know I’ve been a pain to my parents and my brothers, but I can’t seem to control myself!
I lash out for no reason and get annoyed over the tiniest things.
I feel like the biggest jerk for acting the way I am but I don’t know what else to do.
Yesterday I had a minor anxiety attack [not my first, but my first in a few months].
I know I’m stressing out my family, but I feel so stressed myself.
I leave to college in September and that seems ages away.
I’d appreciate any advice or tips.</p>
<p>Perhaps you could make a list of the things that you need to do before you leave and of the things that you are concerned about, and then make an effort to address as many of these things as possible.</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Do you need to fill out health forms? Will this require a doctor’s appointment? If it will, you need to make that appointment and work with your parents to figure out how you’re going to get to the appointment (if you don’t have your own transportation).</p></li>
<li><p>What shopping do you need to do before you leave? Did your college provide a list of what to bring and what not to bring? What’s on the list that you don’t have?</p></li>
<li><p>Are you worried about living with a roommate? There are plenty of threads on CC and articles on the Internet with good advice about this situation, and if you have older friends who have lived with roommates, they may be able to provide advice. (If your parents went to college, they might have useful stories to tell, too.)</p></li>
<li><p>Are you worried about how you will handle non-routine situations at college – such as suddenly needing money that you didn’t anticipate needing, getting sick during the semester, or having your travel plans derailed by bad weather? You can get advice on how to handle these things from various threads on CC and from your college’s Web site, and your parents may have some ideas, too. </p></li>
<li><p>Are you concerned about making good choices of courses for your first semester? Your college’s Web site can be a big help with this. There is probably some good general advice for incoming freshmen, as well as information on how you can obtain more specific advice for your particular situation during or before Orientation.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>What you’re feeling is perfectly natural, but driving other people nuts because of it is not a desirable way to respond. Making practical plans may work better.</p>
<p>1 - is this normal? - Your behavior and feelings sound PERFECTLY normal to me. It’s exciting but still scary. You’re entering a new phase of your life and you want to be grown up but you don’t want to leave your family.</p>
<p>2 - advice? - Your family will still love you and you them. Look for details about the school you’re going to to ease your stress - figure out how the public transportation system works, what the dining hall hours are, even where the tutoring center is. Realize that you’ll have a phone and access to your parents, access to medical care, access to academic support… It IS exciting. You ARE growing up.</p>
<p>I can understand that you would have anxiety. Many people have anxiety over this transition. I know that I did, as well as many other friends, family and acquaintances. </p>
<p>Try to keep busy to keep your mind off what troubles you. Good luck and hope all goes well for you.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your advice.
I actually have almost everything fixed and ready for college except for taking my Accuplacer test.
Since I live in Germany I haven’t taken one yet, and I am not allowed to register for classes until I set up a date to take the test somewhere in Germany.
I hope I can get a date soon. </p>
<p>I’ve been wanting to get a job here to keep busy, but I’m young for my grade and still 17.
Almost every well-paying job requires I be 18 minimum.
I’m planning on going online to find out all I can about the city my college is in and maybe even finding a Freshman Forum for where I’m going.
It’d be nice to know some people before I get to the states since I’ve never lived there before. </p>