Experiences of Freshman Students: Stressors and the Adaptation Process

Abstract

Adjustment to university is a major transition in life that can involve tension and stress as first-year students are required to adapt to a new environment and learning styles that may be different from what they have learned in their secondary school years.  In this qualitative study, we explored, from the voices of students, what are their perceived stressors and challenges during their first year of college.  Participants included eleven first-year college students from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.  A content analysis was performed, where responses were categorized and analyzed based on the transactional stress theory of Lazarus and Folkman.  Some emergent themes of students‘ perceived stress related to the university were concerns with accommodation, transportation, class structure, and the ambiguity of classwork, among others.  The major stress related to the university adaptation process was the difference between the way in which classes were taught and structured in high school and the way they were taught and structured in college.  This exploratory study highlights the need to understand the challenges and stresses students undergo during the first year of college in order to provide the appropriate services to increase academic adherence and success