ReadthefollowingpassageandmarktheletterA,B, C,orD onyouranswersheettoindicatethecorrectanswertoeachofthe questions.

Inmyexperience,freshmentodayaredifferentfromthoseIknewwhenI startedasacounselorandprofessor25yearsago.Collegehasalwaysbeen demandingbothacademicallyandsocially.Butstudentsnowarelessmature and often not ready for the responsibility of beingin college.

Itisreallytooeasytopointthefingeratparentswhoprotecttheirchildren fromlife’sobstacle.Parents,whohandleeverydifficultyandeveryother responsibilityfortheirchildrenwritingadmissionessaystopickingcollege courses,certainlymaycontributetotheirchildren’slackofcopingstrategies. But we can look even more broadly to the social trendsof today.

How many peopledoyouknowwho areonmedicationtopreventanxiety or depression?Thenumberofstudentswhoarriveatcollegealreadymedicated forunwantedemotionshasincreaseddramaticallyinthepast10years.We,as asociety,don’twantto“feel”anythingunpleasantandwecertainlydon’twant our childrento “suffer”.

Theresultingproblemisthatbynotexperiencingnegativeemotions,onedoes notlearnthenecessaryskillstotolerateandnegotiateadversity.Asa psychologist,Iamwellawareofthefactthatsomeindividualssufferfrom depressionandanxietyandcanbenefitfromtreatment,butIquestionthe growing number of medicated adolescents today.

Ourworldismorestressfulingeneralbecauseofthecurrenteconomicand politicalrealities,butIdon’tbelievethatthecollegeexperienceitselfismore intensetodaythanthatofthepast10years.WhatIdothinkisthatmany

studentsareoftennotpreparedtobeyoung“adults”withalltheresponsibilities of life.

Whatdoesthismeanforcollegefacultyandstaff?Wearerequiredtoassist inthebasicparentingofthesestudents–thestudentwhocomplainsthatthe professordidn’tremindheroftheduedateforanassignmentthatwasclearly listedonthesyllabusandthestudentwhocheatsonanassignmentinspiteof careful instructionsabout plagiarism.

Ascollegeprofessors,wehavetoexplainwhatitmeanstobeanindependent collegestudentbeforewecanevenbegintoteach.Asparentsandteachers we shouldexpectyoungpeopletomeetchallenges.Toencouragetheminthis direction,wehavetostepbackandletthemfailandpickthemselvesupand moveforward.Thisapproachneedstobeginatanearlyagesothatcollegecan actually be a passage toindependent adulthood.

How many Americans are involved in telecommuting?