College Developmental Milestones
College Developmental Milestones
First Year:
- Move out of the family home and into a diverse community of young adults.
- Start to view themselves as independent from how others see them.
- Set their own rules and exploring their own interests.
- Attend to their own reactions but still influenced by others.
Second Year:
- May question choice of major.
- Begin to connect academic decisions to potential careers.
- Manage feelings and translate them into productive ways of behaving,
- Mistakes are a necessary part of the process of change and growth.
Third Year:
- Identify internally more as an adult with a greater sense of autonomy,
- Begin to develop a clearer sense of who they are and what they want from life,
- Looking less to family for stability, attempting to establish own space with friends,
- Increase awareness of taking care of their own needs and problems.
Fourth Year:
- Feel of excitement and uncertainty about graduation and leaving.
- Build their sense of competence and purpose,
- Review their skills and reflect on what they have learned,
- Consolidate their identity with a sense of meaning and clarity,
- Prepare for good-byes to friends, mentors which is an important phase of life.