Stressing about the Unnecessary Stressors
by Sophia Lampinen
LSC is a place where you and your education will be taken care of by the best! I wish I would have known how amazing the LSC community was when I first started. I was so scared and stressed that I wouldn’t be able to start my education anywhere due to me thinking that nothing would be taken care of well enough for me and my anxiety-ridden life. The thoughts of needing to talk to professors and advisors were scary at first. Turns out, LSC has the best professors, staff, and others to help you. You can feel free to reach out at any time. No need to stress or start to turn away!
One big thing that kept me from thinking that I would be able to get into college or even want to apply was my high school GPA. I struggled a lot with anxiety and depression in high school, so my grades were just passing with a few B’s here and there. I always thought that you had to have a perfect GPA to get into college. I was also told this by quite a few of my high school teachers, which didn’t make it any better. But here I am, at LSC, and let me say they accepted me with open arms! I never have felt like I don’t belong or feel pushed away. Everyone is so accepting.
With online classes, there is no need to worry. If you haven’t used the online platform LSC uses, D2L, there are videos and a help center that can help. Even if you are on campus and need help, you can turn to any other student there and they will help! As I said, the LSC community is amazing. I was so confused at first, and it took a while for me to figure out the platform. But I promise it gets better! I highly suggest watching the videos provided on how to navigate everything. I didn’t at first, and I feel like it would have helped me a lot if I did. After I watched the videos, it helped me manage the program easier and faster.
Getting your schedule figured out is another big thing that myself and other students stress over. It takes time. It can be super confusing figuring it out, especially if you have a job and other activities that you do. Also, figuring out what classes are absolutely needed and what classes you should take, takes time. You also should be communicating with your advisor during this time, which goes back to the stress of communicating with professors, that some students may have. The first thing I would say is to get a calendar and write everything down to get information organized. I do this all the time, even in the middle of the semester. Being organized is a big help! Figure out if classes are online or in-person. Then talk to your boss, if you are working, to see if your hours are flexible around the times of your classes.
There is just one thing that I want to express with great force. You never have to feel dumb or ashamed about contacting your professors, advisors, tutors, etc… They are here for us, and they love helping us students exceed in our studies. They want us to ask questions, even if it may be a small simple question. Also, it’s not like trying to get ahold of a high school teacher; the professors at LSC get back to you ASAP and answer your questions fully. I stressed and struggled so much about reaching out to ask for help, during my first two semesters of college. As I look back, I wish I had known/come to my senses that it wasn’t a big stress to the professors, advisors, etc. when I would ask for help. So please, if you need to reach out, do it, it won’t hurt anybody.
These topics mentioned above are stressors that so many students have and to be honest, we don’t even need to stress about. Especially at LSC. Here in this community everything you need help with, there is someone to help you. Or something or someplace to help. Don’t stress about the unnecessary stressors of being a college student. Take a deep breath and keep chugging along.
