Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series of articles written by students who were enrolled in Jennifer Bloom's spring 2008 graduate course in the higher education and student affairs program at the University of South Carolina. As part of her course syllabus, Dr. Bloom required each student in her class to submit an article to The Mentor or other publications for consideration.

In the words of a classic adage by nineteenth-century French novelist Alphonse Karr, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” As in the days of old, students arrive on the doorsteps of colleges and universities eager to explore their newfound freedom, while nerves and apprehensions abound. Students still put off studying for that dreaded exam until the night before. There are still midnight runs to the local convenience store, and, yes, first-year students still have tendencies to gain that dreaded fifteen pounds in their first college year. Nevertheless, while some things stay the same, others change, and sometimes drastically so.

Today's traditional first-year students not only have to be cautious of the literal fifteen pounds they tend to gain, they must also manage fifteen figurative pounds of pressure. Consider the following fifteen pounds of figurative weight that today's traditional college student brings to campus.

1. Access to Higher Education

Let us begin with a one-pound question that runs through students' minds throughout their K–12 education: “How can I get into the college of my choice?” As practitioners, we more formally refer to this concern as student access to higher education (Ehrenberg, 2007; Hebel, 2007; Kean, 2006). We deal day in and day out with talk of the Spellings Commission and its demands on our educational agenda (“In Focus,” 2008; Lederman, 2006). As we deal with national and local strains, our incoming students feel the ripple effect. Rather than focusing on finding the college that best suits their needs, they are burdened with managing advanced placement credits; competing for class rank; and sorting through mounds of paperwork, résumés, transcripts, and so on. From the students' perspective, they are often overwhelmed before they even arrive on campus for orientation.

2. Educational Preparedness

Students open their acceptance letters and release long sighs of relief. Nonetheless, we now add one pound of apprehension that we like to call “educational preparedness.” Joe Student, only weeks earlier excited about his acceptance, is now apprehensive about his ability to tackle the academic rigor he will face in college. The quality of high school experiences across state and national borders varies drastically. While Joe may have graduated at the top of his class, the thought of taking placement tests in math, English, or a foreign language can be intimidating, and he worries that others may have been better prepared for the university curriculum.

3. Affordability

Once accepted into the institutions of their choice, students deal with one pound of financial uncertainties. It is a known fact that tuition costs are high and rising (Smith, 2007; Cavanaugh & Cavanaugh, 2006). While many parents and family members have done their best to save for their children's needs, most simply cannot afford to pay the balance in full. To compensate for this discrepancy, students rely on financial aid programs and, increasingly, on student loans. Although student loans are a viable option, we know that students tend to make uneducated decisions when choosing lenders (Field, 2007a; Field, 2007b). Thus, the snowball effect begins. Students cannot afford rising tuition costs, so they take out student loans and swipe credit cards to get by. In the meantime, mounds of student debt accumulate.

4. Student Employment

Trapped between the necessity of an education and financial realities, many students are forced to work between ten and forty hours each week to cover expenses. Rather than finishing classes and going back to their rooms to study, take a quick nap, or hang out with friends, working students can only make quick stops at their residence halls to change into their uniforms and report to work. While many students take advantage of on-campus work-study options, others are forced to earn additional income and must work long hours off campus. This pound is best defined as the delicate balancing act between the ideal college experience and the reality of bills that need to be paid.

5. Parental Pressures

Known as the millennial generation, today's first-year students are more cared for than any before (Howe & Strauss, 2000). Parents of millennials have protected and nurtured their little angels for eighteen or more years. While most students appreciate this parental support, they also view college as their first opportunity to become their own person. Nonetheless, strong connections between students and parents have positive and negative implications. Parents mean well in their efforts to guide their children toward the path of success; however, this love often overflows into making key decisions for their adult students. Students feel pressure from home about what majors to choose, what clubs to join, and ultimately which careers to pursue (Jaschik, 2008; Hoover, 2008).

6. Technological Savvy

Add one pound of student expectations. Raised with the World Wide Web at their fingertips, today's first-year students are technologically savvy. In just minutes, they are able to google the answer to any question, facebook a friend to find out his or her latest life drama, and search YouTube to locate the most recent event captured on camera. While these abilities seem cutting edge today, at the pace that technology is advancing, they will soon be out of date. New technology brings new demands on our students. They expect instant communication and feedback due to their experiences texting and e-mailing friends. They also expect the university to provide the latest and greatest software and to equip the workout facility with high-definition, flat-screen televisions with DVD players at every treadmill.

7. Campus Safety

In light of the recent tragedies on campuses at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, we would be remiss not to add one pound of uneasiness weighing on students' minds as they take their first steps on campus. While many universities have implemented advances such as text notification systems and campus-wide sirens/speaker systems (Foster, 2007; Young, 2008), we must recognize that students, parents, and family members still feel anxious about campus security. Is it safe to interact with new students at welcome week? Am I okay walking to my car from my residence hall? What are the safe areas on campus and in the surrounding area? These are all questions that run through our students' minds in their first days at the university.

8. Nutritional Awareness

Weight gain and obesity concerns come as no surprise. Often recognized for their laziness, students in the United States habitually grow up sitting on couches and eating burgers and fries (Stossel & Cohen, 2006). In recent years, however, our culture has shifted its focus toward healthful eating and active lifestyles. How does this shift affect us? University students are paying attention. For that reason, we will refer to this pound as nutritional awareness. While today's first-year students still enjoy the all-you-can-eat buffet, many students are demanding healthful options in their dining halls, vending machines, and sponsored events. Chalk up this pound as a positive shift.

9. Mental Health

Our next pound manifests itself as a result of the pressures students feel from every angle—pressure from home to succeed, pressure from our culture to look and act a certain way, and pressure from peers to be popular and accepted. Dysfunctional families, inadequate ways to manage emotions, and poor interpersonal connections also lead to this pound of mental-health concerns. First-year students are simply overwhelmed. The burden of juggling so many pressures, coupled with poor support systems, often lead students down unintentional paths to depression and/or suicidal thoughts.

10. Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol abuse among incoming students is one of the most long-standing concerns that institutions of higher education share. Binge drinking, playing beer pong, and smoking marijuana are by no means new to the university community. What is new, however, is the addition of alternative drugs, such as meth and prescription medications. Today's first-year students are now opening mom and dad's drug cabinet and taking the latest pain pill as they search for a narcotic high. Sadly, we add one pound of continued drug abuse, knowing this begs our constant attention.

11. Ethics Crisis

Roger Clemens, a once-respected pillar of major league baseball, is under suspicion for abusing steroids in order to make it to the top of his game (Schmidt, 2007). ENRON, at one time a multibillion-dollar powerhouse, has become the universal icon for corporate fraud (Norris, 2003). Martha Stewart, once famous for her home-decorating tips and classy persona, was convicted of unethical financial practices (Moraes, 2004). To say that our students face one pound of turmoil in response to America's ethics crisis is an understatement. Captured by mainstream media, students come to college without a stable public role model. Challenged by the ethical decision-making process, students acknowledge that their college years represent the first time they have considered the world around them (Upcraft, Gardner, & Barefoot, 2005).

12. Swirlers

The majority of college students no longer earn all of their credit hours from one institution. Thanks to advanced placement (AP) and international baccalaureate (IB) credits, many students arrive on campus with thirty or more hours of course work, essentially making them sophomores before they ever enroll. Some students will spend their summers taking courses at local community colleges and transfer these credits to their home institutions. Other students will begin at two-year institutions with AP credits and later transfer to four-year institutions. The cycle continues and gets more complicated. We call this pound of education “swirling” (Zernike, 2006), and while institutions struggle to articulate transfer credits, students' interest in attending multiple institutions is at a high.

13. Global Exploration

As Friedman (2005) argues, we live in an increasingly flat world. Terms that were once uncommon—international trade, handheld wireless computers, outsourcing, and supply chaining—are now commonplace (Friedman). The demand to go global is here, and our students now have opportunities to see and explore the world. So let's add one pound of global exploration to the mix. Students in their first college year are eager to dive into this new opportunity we call studying abroad. The topic of conversation has shifted from “what city are you going to visit this summer?” to “what country are you going to explore?” The pressure from this pound manifests itself as students struggle to find the right foreign country to visit at the right time in their college careers.

14. Difficulty Getting into Professional Schools

Students used to be able to enjoy their first few semesters of college before worrying about the next step. This is no longer true. Our next pound brings with it stiff competition. Admission to professional-degree programs in law, medicine, and nursing is increasingly competitive. This next generation of doctors and lawyers is being challenged to excel from the moment of enrollment as undergraduate students. They feel the pressure to obtain and maintain competitive grade-point averages, commit to diverse extracurricular experiences, and gain additional skills that they think will help them enter professional schools of their choice. With pressure from home to achieve dream jobs, these students often describe their college experiences as hectic and overwhelming.

15. Uncertainty about Our Country's Future

We now add one final pound of perplexing questions that students must consider as they prepare for an ever-changing world. Who will be the next president of the United States? Will he or she be poised and ready to lead our country through these difficult times? How much will the dollar drop in value? Is our economy nearing a recession? What about the Iraq war? Will the day come when our country must reinstate the draft? Students are well aware of the potentially rocky road ahead. What they do not know is how they will navigate this difficult path.

Conclusion

These fifteen pounds provide a brief insight into the questions and concerns that today's first-year students bring to our institutions. As educators, we have one natural question: “How do we best respond?” While no one can claim to have all the answers, there is one simple yet dependable idea for academic advisers to consider.

Do not let the new first-year student overwhelm you. Recognize that his or her college experience will be different from yours and that of anyone who has come before them. Get to know each student individually. Ask positive, probing questions that allow students to explain their concerns and express their character. Listen well. Be genuine. Serve as a strong referral system to offices such as the counseling center and academic support services. Read the latest literature in our field and stay abreast of current research. Incorporate new and meaningful ideas, such as appreciative advising (Bloom, Hutson, & He, in press) and advising as teaching (Ryan, 1992). If we follow these simple yet powerful suggestions, we can confidently approach the scales that measure academic success and, ultimately, better serve students in this generation and those to come.