The typical Penn State freshman deals with a lot of changes upon entering college, from living with someone new to learning where everything is on a large campus.

But there are other adjustments new students must deal with as well. Most find academics at a university are not quite what they experienced in high school, said Ingrid Blood, associate dean for undergraduate education.

One of the worst problems for incoming students is time management -- a huge adjustment for students who had few problems in high school, she said.

"Many students are unsure of their academic preparedness when they arrive," she said. "Going from an entire year in high school to trying to deal with five or six courses and not realizing you have to finish in 15 weeks is difficult."

Dennis Heitzmann, director of the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), agreed that time, as well as other factors, cause freshmen to experience anxiety when they come to the university.

"Academic concerns are often the manifestations of other problems," he said. "They are bewildered, missing their homes, feeling isolated or alienated."

Students are also faced with a wealth of new responsibilities, both academically and socially, he said. Students are left on their own to complete projects, homework and studying, often without the kind of daily assignments they were used to before college.

"They find it's an entirely different set of expectations placed upon them compared to what they've experienced in high school," Heitzmann said.

Not all students, however, have trouble when they arrive at Penn State.

"I was pretty independent," Garrison Souder (junior-art) said. "I knew the school pretty well. I knew what was expected of me."

But for those students who are not as familiar with the college experience, CAPS offers some support, Heitzmann said. He said he believes that it is important for CAPS to stress that with time, the changes can be manageable.

"We usually encourage students not to make any impulsive decisions," he said. "Given time and commitment, they can manage. We try to be reassuring."

For some freshmen, the Summer Session has also helped to familiarize them with the school, though Lauren Blumberg (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) worries that there might be some drawbacks from that.

"I'm getting really accustomed to having two classes and believe that the work is going to be a lot different in the fall," she said.

Nate Bauer (freshman-journalism), who Blumberg's study partner, agreed, but added that high school "overblows" the difficulty of college, though that has not stopped him from getting a little help from his English professor during office hours this summer.

"I haven't been to the writing center yet, but I do want to go," he said.

When starting college this summer, his biggest worry was getting off on the wrong foot.

"I just didn't want to start out bad," he said. "If you start out with C's, it's impossible to bring that back up."

Blood said the office of undergraduate education is another part of the university that offers academic help to anyone who needs it. Her office puts together the freshman seminar courses that are designed to help students acclimate to the university and their majors.

They also help to train faculty members in how to deal with new students who might need help adapting to the university system.

She said the office of undergraduate education also offers a way for students to plan how they hope to handle college, not just through their freshman years, but all along.

"They're looking for a place to plan what they're going to be doing," she said. "Sometimes they're looking for someone a little farther along to help them out."