- Hillary Muhalya examines the emotional pressures accompanying thousands of freshers as they begin university life.
- Academic expectations, financial pressures, loneliness and homesickness can complicate the transition from secondary school to campus.
- He urges universities and parents to provide support as students adjust to independence and new responsibilities.
Across Kenya, a new chapter is opening for thousands of young people this week. Admission letters that once represented distant dreams have become a reality. Suitcases are being packed, parents are making final arrangements and newly admitted students are arriving at university campuses carrying excitement, expectations and, for many, a quiet sense of fear.
University orientation programmes are taking place across the country as institutions welcome new students into the 2026/2027 academic year.
For families, this is a moment of celebration.
For freshers, however, it can also be the beginning of one of the biggest adjustments of their young lives.
Behind the excitement of university admission is an emotion that many students rarely talk about openly: anxiety.
A student can be extremely happy to have secured admission and still be worried about what happens next.
Will I cope with university academics?
Will I make friends?
Will I fit into my new environment?
Can my family afford my needs?
What happens if I fail?
What if everyone else is more prepared than me?
These questions can become particularly intense during orientation, when the reality of leaving secondary school finally sinks in.
From school rules to university freedom
The transition from secondary school to university is enormous.
For years, students have lived within structured environments. There were timetables, teachers, school rules, supervised study sessions and routines that dictated much of everyday life.
University changes almost everything.
Students are expected to take responsibility for attending lectures, completing assignments, managing their time and making decisions about their social and academic lives.
The freedom is attractive.
But freedom also comes with responsibility.
A student who has spent years being told when to wake up, attend class, study and sleep may suddenly find themselves with long periods of unsupervised time.
That can be liberating for one student and overwhelming for another.
The challenge is therefore not merely academic.
It is learning how to manage oneself.
The fear of not being good enough
Academic expectations are among the biggest sources of anxiety for freshers.
Many arrive after performing strongly in secondary school. They may have been among the best students in their class and may have received enormous encouragement from their teachers and families.
Then university begins.
The classes are larger. The lecturer may not know every student’s name. Assignments require independent research. Students must take greater responsibility for understanding course material.
Suddenly, a student who was accustomed to excellent marks may receive an average result.
That first academic disappointment can be emotionally difficult.
Some students may immediately question their ability.
But university success is not determined by one assignment or examination.
Students have to learn new study methods, manage their time and understand what individual lecturers expect.
The adjustment can take time.
When thousands of people still feel lonely
One of the strangest experiences a fresher can have is feeling lonely while surrounded by thousands of students.
Some quickly form friendship groups.
Others struggle to approach strangers.
A student who is naturally quiet may need more time to become comfortable.
There is nothing wrong with that.
The danger comes when students interpret temporary loneliness as evidence that they do not belong.
Social media can intensify the problem.
A fresher may see photographs of classmates enjoying themselves, making friends and exploring campus and assume everyone else is having a perfect experience.
But social media rarely shows the student crying after a difficult phone call home, worrying about money or sitting alone in a hostel room.
The comparison is therefore unfair.
The financial anxiety nobody sees
University life also brings financial responsibilities.
Students may need money for food, accommodation, transport, internet access, books, stationery and other personal needs.
For families with limited resources, these demands can create significant pressure.
A student may be afraid to tell parents that they need more money because they know the family is already struggling.
Others may compare themselves with classmates who appear to have more financial freedom.
This can create unnecessary shame.
Freshers need to understand that their financial circumstances do not determine their academic potential.
Budgeting carefully and prioritising essential expenses can help students gain greater control over their finances.
Homesickness can arrive unexpectedly
For some students, the biggest challenge is not academics or money.
It is home.
The first few days may be exciting, but once the noise of orientation settles, the reality of being away from family can become painful.
Students may miss home-cooked food, siblings, parents, neighbours and familiar routines.
Parents should not dismiss this as weakness.
Independence does not mean that a student suddenly stops needing emotional support.
A simple conversation can make a significant difference.
Instead of asking only, “How are your marks?” parents can ask, “How are you settling in?”
That question can open a completely different conversation.
How freshers can take control
Anxiety does not have to control the university experience.
The first step is to accept the uncertainty.
A student does not need to pretend to be confident every day. Feeling nervous during a major transition is understandable.
The second step is to create structure.
A basic routine can help students manage university freedom. Lectures, study time, meals, sleep, exercise and relaxation should all have a place.
The third is to build relationships gradually.
A fresher does not need to immediately find a large friendship group.
One trustworthy classmate, roommate, student leader, lecturer or mentor can provide an important sense of belonging.
The fourth is to ask for help early.
If a student does not understand an academic requirement, registration process or university system, asking questions is better than silently struggling.
Orientation should prepare students for real life
This week’s orientation programmes therefore carry a responsibility that goes beyond registration.
Freshers need to know where their lecture halls are, but they also need to know where to find help.
Universities should make students aware of academic support, counselling services, health facilities, libraries, student leadership and welfare offices.
The message should be clear: asking for assistance is not failure.
Orientation should also help students understand university expectations before they are confronted with their first major academic or personal challenge.
A student who knows where to turn is less likely to feel trapped when something goes wrong.
Parents must resist the pressure to compare
Parents also have an important role during this transition.
Many naturally want their children to excel.
But excessive pressure can make the adjustment harder.
Constant comparisons with other students, demands for immediate excellent grades and repeated questions about future employment can make a young person feel as though they are already falling behind.
Parents can instead become a source of stability.
They can encourage discipline while also allowing students room to learn from mistakes.
They can remind them that university is a journey rather than a race.
The message every fresher needs
As Kenya welcomes another generation of university students, there is a message that deserves to be repeated.
You do not have to figure everything out in your first week.
You may get lost on campus.
You may struggle to make friends.
You may miss home.
You may perform below expectations in your first assessment.
You may even question whether you belong.
None of these experiences automatically means you will fail.
Give yourself time.
Learn the system.
Build your support network.
Manage your money.
Attend your classes.
Ask questions.
And when anxiety becomes persistent or begins seriously interfering with sleep, studies or everyday functioning, seek support from a university counsellor, health professional or another trusted person rather than suffering silently.
The transition from school uniform to lecture hall is more than an academic journey.
It is a journey into independence.
That journey deserves preparation — not just for examinations, but for the emotional, social and financial realities that come with becoming a university student.
This week, as campuses fill with new faces and orientation programmes introduce freshers to a new world, the admission letter should represent more than a place in a lecture hall.
It should be the beginning of a supported transition into adulthood.
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Because behind every excited fresher is a young person carrying enormous dreams.
And sometimes, alongside those dreams, is a little fear.
By Hillary Muhalya
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