New Found Freedom and Responsibility of College Students – Term Paper

When it comes to college, most individuals attach a variety of issues and things to it, but freedom still stands out as basic issue. Primarily, freedom is expected to enable the new students go about their duties without a lot of restrictions, as it becomes one form of lifestyle that most students would have missed in their high school part of studies (College View, 1). In college, one expected to depict responsibility in attending classes, sourcing for assistance whenever necessary, socializing with peers around college and many other sorts of responsibilities. Coping with free unsupervised personal time presents even more of the unimaginable challenges in colleges that students waste. It is with this regard that most colleges portray strong, credible services, organizations and even network of individuals as it is a common understanding that adjusting to college life can prove disastrous (Ellis, 120). It therefore goes without saying that these initiatives started by most colleges gear towards helping the new students making most out of their college experience. With regard to the societal expectations of college entrants, they exists the notion that one should be unbound in seeking knowledge pertaining to whatever he or she commits in the study. In making good use of the freedom in college it comes along with exercising utmost responsibility and therefore as a duty worth fulfilling for each new student (College View, 1). Each and every college entrant should indeed find it just, enjoyable and reasonable in performing.  

Most college tutors and administrators believe that regardless of one having attended learning institutions for the better part of their lives, college life greatly differs from ones past experience as it is a whole new freedom (Blankson, 729). It is likely that most colleges have a given attendance policy for the freshmen that tends to restrict their behavior in relation to class attendance. In other colleges, one is expected to observe responsibility when it comes to attendance of classes. Regardless of the new found freedom, the students become subject to academic expectations, for instance handing in of assignments (Hassel, 5). In another phase of academics in colleges, the professors or lecturers have a variety of teaching styles that the student is expected to get acquainted in the shortest time possible. An exercise of responsibility becomes a necessity even as the teaching rationale is usually collaborative and collective, meaning that the whole learning experience would entail sharing of the process involving the student and the lecturer or professor. As the content creators in the syllabus, they definitely set out the expectations through the academic journey in college, they also determine when one has to hand in their assignments, sit in for examinations, practical sessions and many other responsibilities (Villanova, 1). In all these, a maximum cooperation becomes a requirement for smooth stay in college. Academic responsibilities become one of the sole hindrances to new students enjoying or utilizing their new found freedom. In extreme extents such as breaching of certain requirements, they out rightly lead to expulsion or other serious consequences.

In avoiding further consequences that come along with irresponsible conducts, it becomes apparent that new students should share responsibilities. Sharing responsibilities in this case would entail that whenever the students faces difficulties in the new environment, he or she needs to seek help (Academic Freedom, 439). Seeking help therefore depicts the first step towards becoming responsible amidst the new found freedom. In addressing such issues, most colleges require that the various departmental administrators (lecturers and professors included) have the duty of keeping office all through the week so as to assist any students who acts responsible enough in seeking help for any problem or general issue encountered. When the new student takes time in seeking help, it becomes a true testament of the full exploitation of the opportunities and even freedom that comes along with joining a given college (Hassel, 11). Life in college therefore offers a student the perfect opportunity and environment in fully exercising fundamental freedom that in most cases become difficult to come by in the lower institutions of learning. 

When it comes to instances where new students tend over indulge is usually life outside the classroom or academics. Life here really justifies the whole essence of new found freedom as most social circles become occupied with freedom-hungry individuals. Most of the new students would wish mingle with all the kind of persons they wish to mingle with at any time of the day. It is through such avenues that profound friendship: typically involving opposite sexes carries the day. New students exploit their freedom in order that they may associate only with persons they feel comfortable with during their stay in the institution (Ellis, 120). It is through such engagements that a change of lifestyle drastically sets in featured mostly in dressing, choice of food and the most typical one exhibited through entertainment. All the mentioned lifestyles have heavily relied on freedom for their execution as most new students are always on the rush to try out something new that the new found freedom and privilege have offered. It is through the event where the students try out different lifestyle outfits that need to act responsibly becomes a forgotten case. They therefore over-indulge in instances best described by psychologists as moments of self-realization where eventually lead the new students into messing up during their stay in college (Academic Freedom, 439). Drug abuse, sexual immorality, criminal activities and other various vices have all become party to the misuse of freedom that college life grants to the new students, and it even becomes more painful when the new students find it difficult to disembark from the various irresponsible activities they become caught amidst. In an equal measure, a new found environment can entirely present a responsible student with unlimited opportunities to develop talents, skills such as in sports, drama and many others (College View, 1). To add, they are also not limited in gaining vast knowledge not only limited to their areas of study but also in other different disciplines of study. A good instance is when a student joins a faculty of education and learns a few skills here and there about computing due to constant interaction with Information Technology students (Ellis, 119). It therefore becomes a complete and a genuine testimony that new found freedom can constructively become useful when students take their time in utilizing such privileges resourcefully.    

In conclusion, new found freedom and responsibility with a college student depicts a step in the level in which high school students can transition into college. Even with various determinants such as family background, students status and others pertinent issues playing a vital role in shaping their behavior in college, it becomes an element of accountability (Blankson, 730). A study of the students behavior with freedom at disposal would also dictate how well the new environment can shape an individuals behavior notably from either moral to immoral or even the inverse. Coming to academics, the paper has portrayed freedom as a key determinant of a students success since a responsible student would wholly exploit the freedom at disposal in looking out for lecturers in most instances where the student feels a problem may hinder him or her from actualizing his academic tasks (Academic Freedom, 439). It also through exercise of utmost responsibility that college students can nurture a skill or talent basically in the event that they become responsible enough to utilize their new found freedom in a positively engaging activity. In a contrary instance, the paper also found out various side effects of irresponsible use of new found freedom where engaging in drugs and substance abuse, crime and sexual immorality, are a testament of poor management of freedom (Hassel, 6). Amidst all these, the role of colleges in committing to shape how new students can responsibly handle their new found freedom also came into play. Here the paper explored the possibility of professors and lecturers in setting separate office hours for consultation purposes. In such a case, students can share with them any challenges they may face in the new environment and equally both emotional and technical support becomes a possibility when such challenges are shared (College View, 1). There also exist small college organizations that advocate for appropriate use of freedom in performance of constructive duties. Such initiatives play a key role in molding behavior of students through engagement in clean-up exercise, tree planting and many other worthy activities.

Bibliography:

“Adjusting To College Life Freshman Advice For Finding Help On Campus”. Collegeview.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 2 June 2016.

Blankson, A. Nayena, Shana E. Rochester, and Angela Farris Watkins. “Service-Learning And Civic Responsibility In A Sample Of African American College Students”. Journal of College Student Development 56.7 (2015): 723-734. Web.

Ellis, Shannon. “Student Freedom Revisited: Contemporary Issues & Perspectives”. Journal of College Student Development 48.1 (2007): 119-121. Web.

“ACADEMIC FREEDOM”. College Student Personnel Abstracts 18.4 (2010): 439-439. Web.

“Adjusting To College”. Www1.villanova.edu. N.p., 2016. Web. 2 June 2016.: 1-1

Hassel, Holly and Jessica Lourey. “The Dea(R)Th Of Student Responsibility”. College Teaching 53.1 (2005): 2-13. Web.