The Academic Year... from something that I found in my room.
September
-Homesickness/loneliness
-Excitement
-Doubts about choice of school
-Tendency to test new limits and boundaries
-For new students, frequent calls/visits home
-Anxiety about roommates
-Anxiety about professors
-First round of tests possible at end of month
October
-Roommate problems begin to arise
-Concerns about social climate ("Do I fit in here?")
-First marks may be returned
-Midterm exams occur (late in month)
-Love relationships from home still going strong
-For seniors, concerns re: post-graduation plans begin to surface (including resume preparation, graduate school applications, testing)
November
-Midterm grades returned
-Roommate problems getting more serious
-Lots of exams/papers due before Thanksgiving
-Pressure builds re: coursework
-First major wave of campus-wide sickness
December
-Anxiety about going home for December holidays
-Anxiety/sleeplessness regarding preparation for finals
-Sadness about leaving new love relationships
-For freshmen, anxiety over putting together their first class schedule for the next semester
-For seniors, realization that this is the last time that they register for classes
-Feelings of missing out on holiday fun due to studying, exams; sense of being cheated
January
-For seniors, frustration due to barrage of questions over holidays from relatives, neighbors, etc. regarding post-graduation plans
-Homesickness
-Loneliness for love relationships back home
-Disappointment/excitement regarding first-semester grades
-Seeing this as a time to make a "fresh start"
-Relief at being away from home/back at school
February
-Feelings of claustrophobia due to bad weather, "the worst month": tempers short, tension level quite high
-Increase in alcohol substance abuse
-Breakup of love relationships from back home
-With the arrival of Valentine's Day, many feelings of loneliness, anomie ("Everyone has somebody but me.")
March
-Anxiety begins over choosing/finding roomate(s) for the following academic year
-Disappointment on the part of those students who can't afford to travel over spring break
-For seniors, realization that this is the last spring break - "last chance" for free time
-Anxiety over midterm exams
-Begin to worry about summer employment
-Depression over winter weight gain (women especially)
-For seniors, the issue of post-graduation plans intensifies
April
-Excitement over arrival of good weather
-Anxiety over choosing room/roommates for next year
-Panic over not finding a roommate/of being abandoned
-Nervousness over registering for courses
-End of semester pressure begins
-For seniors, the feelings surrounding separation issues become intense (may displace feeling of loss into family setting)
May
-Anxiety over final exams
-Apprehension about returning home for the summer
-Sadness over losing touch with new friends
-Sadness over losing contact with new love relationship
-For seniors, ambivalent feelings: pride in graduation, relief it's all over, sadness it's all over, excitement about entering the "adult" world, anxiety over having to produce in a competitive world, fear of the unknown
Throughout the entire academic year
-Missing birthday celebrations at home (theirs and others)
-Missing holiday celebrations at home
-Missing special family-specific traditions
-Feeling left out of decision-making regarding family matters, important or not (e.g. buying a new car, putting a family pet to sleep, getting a new pet, reassigning bedroom space, making choices re: vacations)
-Homesickness/loneliness
-Excitement
-Doubts about choice of school
-Tendency to test new limits and boundaries
-For new students, frequent calls/visits home
-Anxiety about roommates
-Anxiety about professors
-First round of tests possible at end of month
October
-Roommate problems begin to arise
-Concerns about social climate ("Do I fit in here?")
-First marks may be returned
-Midterm exams occur (late in month)
-Love relationships from home still going strong
-For seniors, concerns re: post-graduation plans begin to surface (including resume preparation, graduate school applications, testing)
November
-Midterm grades returned
-Roommate problems getting more serious
-Lots of exams/papers due before Thanksgiving
-Pressure builds re: coursework
-First major wave of campus-wide sickness
December
-Anxiety about going home for December holidays
-Anxiety/sleeplessness regarding preparation for finals
-Sadness about leaving new love relationships
-For freshmen, anxiety over putting together their first class schedule for the next semester
-For seniors, realization that this is the last time that they register for classes
-Feelings of missing out on holiday fun due to studying, exams; sense of being cheated
January
-For seniors, frustration due to barrage of questions over holidays from relatives, neighbors, etc. regarding post-graduation plans
-Homesickness
-Loneliness for love relationships back home
-Disappointment/excitement regarding first-semester grades
-Seeing this as a time to make a "fresh start"
-Relief at being away from home/back at school
February
-Feelings of claustrophobia due to bad weather, "the worst month": tempers short, tension level quite high
-Increase in alcohol substance abuse
-Breakup of love relationships from back home
-With the arrival of Valentine's Day, many feelings of loneliness, anomie ("Everyone has somebody but me.")
March
-Anxiety begins over choosing/finding roomate(s) for the following academic year
-Disappointment on the part of those students who can't afford to travel over spring break
-For seniors, realization that this is the last spring break - "last chance" for free time
-Anxiety over midterm exams
-Begin to worry about summer employment
-Depression over winter weight gain (women especially)
-For seniors, the issue of post-graduation plans intensifies
April
-Excitement over arrival of good weather
-Anxiety over choosing room/roommates for next year
-Panic over not finding a roommate/of being abandoned
-Nervousness over registering for courses
-End of semester pressure begins
-For seniors, the feelings surrounding separation issues become intense (may displace feeling of loss into family setting)
May
-Anxiety over final exams
-Apprehension about returning home for the summer
-Sadness over losing touch with new friends
-Sadness over losing contact with new love relationship
-For seniors, ambivalent feelings: pride in graduation, relief it's all over, sadness it's all over, excitement about entering the "adult" world, anxiety over having to produce in a competitive world, fear of the unknown
Throughout the entire academic year
-Missing birthday celebrations at home (theirs and others)
-Missing holiday celebrations at home
-Missing special family-specific traditions
-Feeling left out of decision-making regarding family matters, important or not (e.g. buying a new car, putting a family pet to sleep, getting a new pet, reassigning bedroom space, making choices re: vacations)