Miguel Reyes, Staff Writer

Transitioning from high school to college can serve as a difficult task to first-year college students. It can be so overwhelming that most feel a lack of confidence in their ability to perform tasks effectively. The one thing that most, if not all, freshmen have in common is the fear of failure.

When adapting to a new environment, most students want to feel like they fit in with their classmates, which is not always the case with students coming from different backgrounds and cultures. Students enter college without knowing most of their strengths and weaknesses, which leads them to find the easy way out of most things.

New York Times contributor David L. Kirp explains that most students entering college feel the same fear because of society’s expectations.

“Regardless of their credentials, many freshmen doubt that they have the necessary brainpower or social adeptness to succeed in college,” Kirp said. “If they flunk an exam, or a professor doesn’t call on them, their fears about whether they belong may well be confirmed.”

Students are more prone to drop out because of their lack of faith in their abilities to perform challenging tasks.

“I fear that I will not love the job that I end up with when I graduate college,” Utica College freshman Rhomel Baptiste said.

Baptiste has no idea where he sees himself in four years, yet he knows that he wants to be happy with his profession. This is sometimes difficult for college freshmen to overcome, because the doubt can cause confusion and can lead to irrational decisions. Many students feel the need to involve themselves in clubs and organizations to try to get a sense of the talents they have and will learn how to apply them with everyday life.

UC freshman Fred De Jesus fears that he will do poorly in some of his classes because of his fear with public speaking.

“I try to avoid classes that include public speaking,” he said. “The thought of sounding unconvincing to my teacher and classmates is nerve-wracking, which is why I would rather take courses where I can write and get graded over my performance on paper.”

Many freshmen have this same fear, which prevents them from having an open mind about their future careers. The lack of development in these skills leads freshmen to hide in their shadow instead of displaying their talents for the world to see. De Jesus said that he will purposely enroll in classes that include public speaking because it is a fear he would like to overcome.

Freshman Joel Benitez says his fears are quite different.

“I fear that I will have to use most of my salary to pay off my student loans,” Benitez said.