“I can’t wait to start college,” a high school graduate may say. Students who are planning to start college are anxious to meet new people, eager to open their minds to new ideas, and enthusiastic about learning essential skills to succeed. But many do not adapt well to the college environment, causing them to experience something that is very common among new college students--culture shock.
What Is Culture Shock?
“It is a sense of confusion and uncertainty, sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Krystle Oates, an African American California native, said in a Feb. 22, 2009 phone interview that she has experienced culture shock as a college student. She explained how she had feelings of anxiety during her undergrad years at Southern University and A&M College, a predominately African American university in Louisiana. She said moving from California to Louisiana was a shock to her even though she was among others of the same ethnicity because she was mainly familiar with California’s cultural and social settings.
Even now as a graduate student at the University of Iowa, which is predominately white, Oates said she had a hard time adjusting at first.
“I was a little concerned about what people thought of me because I was the only African American woman in my class,” Oates said. “Initially, I had no one to relate to.”
Elizabeth A. Reyes, a staff psychologist at the University of Southern California, specializes in socio-cultural concerns, including cross-cultural issues. During a Feb. 20, 2009 phone interview, she said students, especially international students, become concerned about others judging them because they are in a different environment.
She explained that students who experience culture shock may notice several things:
- excitement about newness
- loneliness
- social withdraw
- irritability
- depression
- appetite problems
But how can students cope with culture shock and succeed in college?
How To Handle Culture Shock
“Students need new social connections,” Reyes said. She suggested joining activities and organizations to meet new people and to take advantage of university resources.
“Volunteering is a good way to meet people as well as participating in intramural sports and academic things,” she added.
At Southern University, Oates’s involvement with the student government and the math club helped her meet new people and made the adjustment much easier. Moreover, she is currently tutoring at a high school which has helped her become more familiar with her surroundings and other people.
Furthermore, students tend to go home for the weekend to spend time with family and friends, but Reyes suggested that going home to the same familiar environment does not help ease culture shock.
“Students take for granted what it takes to make friends,” she said. “They need to go to a new place to balance it out.”
Where To Go For Help
Students who have problems coping with culture shock should check out the following services that are offered at many colleges and universities:
- Counseling and Psychological Services
- Student Health Services
- Study Abroad Offices
- Student Transition & Retention Services
Experiencing culture shock in college is common among new college students. Feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and fear may cause them to think twice about college. But taking advantage of activities that involve a significant amount of socializing could help students cope with culture shock and adapt to the environment more easily.
Starr Balmer - Starr T. Balmer is an assistant editor for an educational company in Culver City, CA. As a former staff writer/intern for the Long Beach ...
