First Year Binging
The thrill of first year can last the entire year, a few weeks and sometimes a couple of weeks. During the first three or four weeks of semester one, the students focus may be on making friends and having a good time. Their people’s skills are tested for the first time. This is the most imperative time of their life; I say this because during this time, it is possible to make subject changes to suite their degree makeup. This time may also set a pattern for behaviour throughout the year, a time to build friendships, trying to find friends that best adhere to their character and lastly, a time where prioritizing becomes important.
Many first year students come to university with high expectations, to have freedom with no boundaries, lots of alcohol and sex abuse and encouragement to be irresponsible. These activities allow for endless friendships to be established. Students also begin to ignore their studies, thinking pulling all nighters will earn them straight A's.
When walking into a party, the first thing one does is scan, looking for people they may know and when they find them, they relax and go over and start chatting. Some don't understand that nature is trying to teach them how to handle social scenes by inciting anxiety. This is what leads to 'pre-party' events, trying to withdraw whatever anxiousness may be felt. This undermines their social confidence, because it is now being fabricated. This pre-partying became common to me at Rhodes University.
Rhodes University's poor academic performance has been tied to the undue consumption of alcohol. This was proven by a student who compiled findings on alcohol abuse on campus. This survey focused on students as whole and not just first years. The report titled "Patterns of Alcohol Abuse on a South African University Campus," reported alcohol as harmful and hazardous. I mean there was a "Save Tri-Varsity" campaign a couple of months back due to unruly, drunk Rhodents at last years Tri-Var. The Dean of Students had to intervene with her Alcohol-Abuse Awareness Week. Reasons for such interventions are caused by the skyrocketing numbers of students practicing binging, an act which starts during ones first year.
It is in the interest of higher learning institutions to take note of the levels of alcohol consumption amongst students, especially first year students that are overwhelmed by varsity life. They need to devise strategies and neutralize such trends. It is important that first year students overcome peer pressure and the false sense of security of living in a small town. It is up to these first years to be able to balance the exhilaration with good decisions and help eliminate the bad name on Rhodes for producing alcoholics.Should you be a student needing help, especially first year, help is available.Rhodes Counselling CentreAlcoholics Anonymous
1 comment:
Although I found your opinion piece to be informative and concise, I do personally feel that there are a few aspects that were over-looked on your behalf. Such aspects could add a new perspective to your writing had they been taken into account. I found that overall, you introduced the topic well and it is evident that your research was more than adequate but I believe you made the common mistake of only analyzing Rhodes specifically. his irks me beyond belief because I am so tired of hearing about how we are all alcoholics. No body ever takes into account the fact that our campus is so small that the effect of drinking is compressed. Cape Town is a massive place, guaranteed they drink just as much as we do but on a wider scale. I think if people stopped being so judgemental with regards to Rhodes and looked at drinking on a larger scale which entailed all Universities, we would feel less condemned by our supposed alcoholic dependance.
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