What are some common challenges college freshmen face while adjusting to life away from home? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

I work with a ton of freshmen in college and I talk about these adjustment issues with LOTS of them. Moving out of the home and starting college is frequently the most difficult and dramatic life change that they have experienced and the degree to which students can struggle cannot be understated.

Many students get homesick, particularly half-way into the first semester. They miss their high school friends and family and they have a hard time understanding why they are not as close with their new college peers as they were with their friends from high school and middle school. Social media also presents challenges because they will frequently see their friends posting pictures from other universities and they wonder why they aren’t having as much trouble adjusting (of course, they don’t realize that their friends are only posting the good things).

Sleep deprivation frequently becomes a challenge and can exacerbate anxiety, depression or even just plain homesickness.

Many students have their first experimentation with alcohol, marijuana and even sex/relationships during their freshman year of college and this can all present challenges to their overall sense of self-worth and adjustment.

It’s important that parents and friends check in on their college freshmen often. Remind them that this is a hard adjustment and that almost EVERYONE has issues with the adjustment from time to time. It’s a normal life stage. But, if the student really is struggling, they should be encouraged to speak with someone in the university counseling center, a residence hall director, etc. who can help support the student if necessary.

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