University Life Challenges: A Literature Review and Recommendations

This essay delves into the multifaceted challenges students encounter when transitioning to university life. It begins with an abstract and introduction, followed by a comprehensive literature review that explores various issues, including academic pressure, financial constraints, social integration difficulties, and the complexities of managing time and expectations. The analysis and discussion section synthesizes findings from the literature, highlighting key challenges such as study pressure, balancing studies with personal life, the cost of education, cultural differences, and mental health concerns. The essay then provides practical recommendations for students, emphasizing prioritization, time management, and seeking guidance when needed. It concludes by summarizing the transformative nature of university life, emphasizing its role in personal and professional development, and the importance of adapting to new experiences. The essay references various academic sources to support its arguments and recommendations.

ABSTRACT
The current study elaborates about the several different issues that students mainly
faces when they get enter into a university life. This study support in determining what those
challenges that students mainly confront at their starting face of university admission and
influence that it brings over them. For this, current student presents a literature review from
some sources regarding these challenges along with the discussion front the finding of these
sources. Additionally, it also represents some recommendations that students can use in their
life to deal with such challenges and be able to learn something new from this as a lesson for
future challenges.

Contents
ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................3
LITERATURE REVIEW...................................................................................................................3
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF ALL QUESTIONS.................................................................5
RECOMMENDATIONS....................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCE......................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Starting University for further study is consider to be a beginning of new phase to
students’ life which brings up several new twist and turn that are more centered more self-
learning and self-discovery. This support in shaping up a student’s according to the future
career path they want to select (McKinley and Madjar, 2014). The current report is based on
detail about these challenges that students mainly face when they start their journey of
university for higher education. This report mainly involves a literature review over these
challenges, discussion of findings and recommendation for students to deal with these
challenges.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Gautam, C., Lowery, C.L., Mays, C. and Durant, D., 2016 said that, while firstly
starting university, students face number of challenges related with their higher studies,
money, working while in school, tension and many more. These are general among students
as they enter into totally a new environment and they find it difficult to get adjust to this. But
despite of all this, it also brings up memories, provide student a chance to develop themselves
while dealing with these issues and learn new things that support them in their future growth
and career. But according to Garfield gates, 2015, the time spent throughout university is
consider as fond memory and also brings up happy experience to most of the people but it
never left the rough patches aside. Here students have to deal with number of issues, among
them study is most common. This is so because the university is a academically challenging
as the courses or curriculum it offers is relatively more tougher then high schools as it pack
up the Couse of two year into one which brings up more study pressure over students.
As per Hannah Carter, 2017, starting up a new university is all about starting a new
life and this journey mainly involves self-reliance and self-discovery which form up their
way of looking at life in longer run. But most of the students not get prepared for these
challenges and end up with overwhelmed as a result of which they require extra time to get
adjust. This mainly happens as students get enter into a new culture which remain different
from their school. Another reason for this is homesickness as they get use to of the pampering
behavior they get from parents and then find it difficult to deal with challenges by their own.
Beside this, Mollie Porein, 2018, stated that starting university is equivalent to starting a
whole new life chapter, which brings up so many difficulties in term of arranging fund,
staying away from home, pressure arising from studies, family time etc. They sometimes get

disturbed too with these challenges as major difficulty they found is in managing their time
effectively. It remains quite difficult for them to create a balance between their studies,
friends or family time. University duration is a time where students we wants more than 24
hours a day to cope up with all their activities such irregularity of sleeping, doing everything
before deadline etc.
As per thoughts of Gartman, K. D., 2016, at their starting stage of university that
major challenge that students faces is about getting socialize. This is so because there are
majority of students who are introvert and not even much interacted with outer world as a
result they find it difficult while university starting too. Establishing connection and spending
time with classmates, roommates and other friend is very crucial, but it remain challenging as
students don’t get easily familiar with new environment. But from the thoughts of
Baklashova T.A. and Kazakov, A.V., 2016, university admission takes students to a step into
a higher level of studies which make it difficult for them to cope up with all the tensions and
depression to perform well among others. Additionally it also make it confusing for them to
choose a major which decide their career path and they find it difficult to form up right
decision.
As per the information provided by Chan, J.W., Lau, M., Li, S.C., Pow, J. and Lai, G.,
2017, some students are more attached with their parents as well as expectations they have
from them. As a result of which they feel themself stuck in a situation where they have to
perform in a manner that the expectation of their parents can be fulfilled. This restrict them to
certain criteria which make it difficult for them to deal with other issues or learn new things.
While, Hew, K.F. and Cheung, W.S., 2014, state that the university experience brings with it
number of learning and development opportunity for students but at the same time they have
to face several challenges too. This is so because they have to confront with people belongs
to different background, cultural or racial difference, varied lifestyle. Here they found several
feeling of rejection or acceptance that highly affect their mental health which make it
challenging to deal with their journey throughout university.
As per Özoğlu, M., Gür, B.S. and Coşkun, İ., 2015, one among university challenge is
cost of their education, as due to changes in economy of UK the cost of higher education also
get increased which require students to get counselling. For affording these cost students
mainly started their jobs at very starting stage which make it more complex for them balance
their work pressure with study that sometime also results into lower grades which affect their

further performance. But according to Heng, T.T., 2018, when a student newly enter into
university, they are required to make adjustment in numerous of things. The first year of
university life is often consider more harder as it brings change to routine, students have to
perform things differently, accepting new things and many more. The fear of getting fail to
this or not being abled to perform well confront students with several challenges that are
depression, anxiety, tension etc.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF ALL QUESTIONS
From the above performed study it has been found that throughout their experience to
the university life student faces number of issues that not only help in preparing them for
future career but also help in teaching them to deal with several issues at a time. The most
common issues that students face while study pressure, maintaining a balance between study
and family, cost of higher education, cultural differences, being socialize, depression, making
new friends and selecting a subject (Ahmed, 2019). These all are the challenges that students
mainly face throughout their university experience which make it harder to them in running
their life smoothly at very beginning stage. Hence, students must try to focuses over learning
ways of dealing with these issues while managing with their studies so that their aim behind
entering into the university can be appropriately achieved. Addition to this, they must focus
toward adjusting to the new culture by being socialize with other people instead of feeling
anxious about it (Abrica and Martinez Jr, 2016). As it supports them in learning new things or
skills that are helpful for their future well being as it provide a direction for the career path.
RECOMMENDATIONS
From the above performed study it can be said that at starting stage students face
several issues which they need to tackle effectively so that they can perform well in their
education and at the same time learn lessons for life. Here are some recommended ways of
dealing with such issues,
 Students must try to prioritize activities to be performed and schedule time
accordingly so that each work can be performed on timely manner which not only
help in providing satisfaction or performing well but also help in keeping things
manage which destress students.
 Whenever found difficult to manage study or get depressed due to not performing
well, students must go for counselling or ask a guidance from mentors which make
them in learning ways of dealing with issues. Additionally, also focuses toward

getting some time for socializing with people that help in keeping the depression
away which ensure better performance.
CONCLUSION
From the report it can be summarized that university life brings up several memories,
new learning, challenges and opportunities for development. Students experience all this at a
single paged and find it difficult to understand a difference among them at the beginning
stage. But as the time passes, they started getting involve in such practices and learn to take
lesson from each of new phase to which they get confronted if they get proper guidance and
support. University life is considered as a new phase as it supports in developing skills and
capability of a student for preparing them for future career and success.

REFERENCE
Books & Journals
Abrica, E.J. and Martinez Jr, E., 2016. Strategies for navigating financial challenges among
Latino male community college students: Centralizing race, gender, and immigrant
generation. Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, 23(2), pp.59-72.
Ahmed, P.H., 2019. Major Writing Challenges Experienced by EFL Learners in Soran
University. Journal of University of Human Development, 5(3), pp.120-126.
Baklashova, T.A. and Kazakov, A.V., 2016. Challenges of International Students'
Adjustment to a Higher Education Institution. International Journal of
Environmental and Science Education, 11(8), pp.1821-1832.
Chan, J.W., Lau, M., Li, S.C., Pow, J. and Lai, G., 2017. Challenges University Students
Face When Integrating New ICT Tools into Their Learning: An Exploratory Study
of a Social Annotation Tool. Journal of the International Society for Teacher
Education, 21(1), pp.7-23.
Gartman, K.D., 2016. Challenges of International Students in a University Setting. MPAEA
Journal of Adult Education, 45(2).
Gautam, C., Lowery, C.L., Mays, C. and Durant, D., 2016. Challenges for global learners: A
qualitative study of the concerns and difficulties of international students. Journal of
International Students, 6(2), pp.501-526.
Heng, T.T., 2018. Different is not deficient: contradicting stereotypes of Chinese
international students in US higher education. Studies in higher education, 43(1),
pp.22-36.
Hew, K.F. and Cheung, W.S., 2014. Students’ and instructors’ use of massive open online
courses (MOOCs): Motivations and challenges. Educational research review, 12,
pp.45-58.
McKinley, E. and Madjar, I., 2014. From schools in low-income communities to university:
Challenges of transition for Māori and Pacific students', Māori and Pasifika Higher
Education Horizons (Diversity in Higher Education, Volume 15).
Özoğlu, M., Gür, B.S. and Coşkun, İ., 2015. Factors influencing international students’
choice to study in Turkey and challenges they experience in Turkey. Research in
Comparative and International Education, 10(2), pp.223-237.
Online
Gates. G., 2015. Common Problems Students Face During University. [Online] Available
through: <https://education.co.za/ten-common-problems-students-face-during-
college>./
Carter. H. 2017. Common Problems Students Face During University life. [Online] Available
through: <https://www.youniversitytv.com/college-tips/7-common-problems-
students-face-university-life/>./

Porein. M. 2018. 9 Common Problems Students Face During University Life. . [Online]
Available through: <https://youthincmag.com/9-common-problems-students-face-
during-university-life>./