Students' lives are like the seeds of a dandelion, released from the flower head and carried away by the wind, where they leave their comfort zone and, by fighting various difficulties, create their colony in an unknown area. Unfortunately, everyone praises the beauty, but no one points out the struggle the seeds have faced to be pretty. Likewise, the success of the students is seen, but not their struggle during their studies. The students adapt to various changes in the new place; they also adopt different habits during their whole journey as students, which ultimately influence their personalities. Students leave their homes for new, well-educational opportunities. Here the phase arises where either the Dandelion seeds turn out into a beautiful plant or fail to germinate.
As students shift to new places, they learn to break their comfort zone and to balance their budget with the allocated money. They learn how to maintain cleanliness and how to cook. Thus, the development of the trait of conscientiousness takes place. They learn how to deal with this huge crowd. Leading to an increase in the traits called openness to experience, agreeableness, and extraversion. Here, not only girls but boys too learn the things that they have never done in their home, like cleaning, cooking, etc. The development of these traits enhances the personalities of students. Which further helps them have a better future. To get well-adjusted in the crowd, the students develop adaptability and resilience. Further, they study hard by creating a favorable atmosphere to study in, like by joining a reading room, studying in fresh air in gardens, group study, etc. Thus, the dandelion seeds are successfully converted into dandelion plants.
Due to various problems like predation, herbivory, and human activities, the dandelion plant fails to germinate. Likewise, there are different problems faced by students as they shift to new places. Mostly, the problem of inferiority is seen because now they have to stay around those students who have obtained more achievements; some of them have achievements at state, national, and international levels. They have to face native students who have proper exposure to this big city crowd. Another major problem is nutrition. Such as weight loss, poor dietary choices, food insecurity, obesity, overweight, etc. Problems like lack of emotional support, homesickness, the burden of financial problems, loneliness, and feeling the pressure of a career are very prominent. Additionally, students living abroad for studies face problems like discrimination and racism. It has been seen that students who experience discrimination exhibit system justification theory. For example, here he or she rationalizes the reason for discrimination, like the student will believe that he or she faces racism because of the ugly black tone. Housing and living arrangements abroad, social integration, financial planning, academic pressure, language barriers, cultural adjustment, etc. are some other problems. Some students tackle this problem in different ways, and ideas, on the other hand, fail to germinate.
A survey conducted between February and April 2021, published by NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information), to investigate the challenges faced by university students studying away from their hometowns ( It was conducted in Saudi Arabia and Ethically approved by Majmaah University’s ethics committee.) shows different aspects affecting students living outside their hometowns, especially those involving financial, nutritional, social, and psychological aspects. Financially, it showed that 124 (57.9%) of participants were negatively affected. In the case of nutrition, it was found that 85 (39.7%) increased in weight and 70 (32.7%) decreased, whereas 59 (27.6%) did not notice any change. The effect of financial concerns was found to be prominent among students living in single apartments alone (73, 70.9%) and along with friends (30, 69.8%), but not as much among those living with their family. However, there was no prominent difference between weight and academic performance. The majority of those who lived alone or with friends noticed a decrease in weight. (42.7% and 48.8%, respectively). Those who lived further away from college significantly experienced a decrease in weight as compared to those who lived closer to college. 58.7% of those living more than 300 km experienced a decrease in weight.
Students living alone or further away are experiencing higher levels of homesickness. However, there was no significant relationship between homesickness and academic performance. The survey highlights the intensity of various problems and the need to find ways to fix them. There are different ways to tackle such problems, and one of them is self-care. Here, self-care activities are prioritized, such as getting adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, and practicing relaxation techniques, which can build resilience and help cope with stressors. Relaxation techniques include deep breathing, which involves techniques like diaphragmatic breathing. Another relaxation technique is progressive muscle relaxation, which involves tensing and relaxing different muscle groups in the body, moving from one group to another. Guided imagery, yoga and Tai Chi, and mindfulness meditation are some effective techniques. Another effective way is acceptance. It allows individuals to stop being useless and try to control or avoid the stressor. Cognitive reframing is also a way to gain resilience. This involves challenging negative thinking or focusing on personal strengths and resources. Distraction is when engaging in activities or one's hobbies diverts attention away from the stressor. This may help individuals temporarily reduce their distress.
Problem-solving, seeking social support, exercising, going to the gym, etc. are some other ways. These contribute to resilience, gaining confidence, and improving adaptability. Engagement in such different techniques contributes to the reduction of stress, enhancing various positive traits while reducing the negative ones. It is not necessary that the students living away from home only follow these practices; one can simply perform them to have good physical and mental health. Thus, staying away from home can influence the personality both positively and negatively. We just have to work through various practices to tackle these negative impacts and convert ourselves from a seed to a dandelion.
- Shravani Surve
