Gwinnett Daily Post

File Photo Students walk to and from class at Georgia Gwinnett College.

LAWRENCEVILLE -- Parker Stone still visits his parents from time to time. The 19-year-old freshman at Georgia Gwinnett College knows home-cooked meals are only a five-minute drive away. And washing laundry there is free.

Other than the occasional trip home, the young man has grown accustomed to life in his dorm room at Georgia Gwinnett College, a space he shares with other students at the college who are getting their first taste of independence.

Students at GGC and beyond sometimes struggle -- and sometimes thrive -- in an environment they will come to call their new domain as they begin a post-secondary education. College students say they do a number of things to put their personal stamp on living quarters: plastering posters on their walls, piping familiar music through the rooms and hooking up video game systems can all help to make it feel a little like home.

Stone, an information technology major, is liking life in the dorm. Whether it's hitting the books in his room, heating dinner in the microwave or taking a PlayStation 3 study break with roommate Ryan Smith, living on his own is starting to feel pretty good.

Smith said a big part of being independent for the first time is learning the importance of dependence on peers.

"Once you get into college, you should immediately go out and start meeting people, start talking, mixing, finding common ground with others," said Smith, a 20-year-old student who shares living quarters with Stone. Smith said that from what he's seen it generally takes fellow students about a month or less to get acclimated to the new lifestyle.

The college's acting vice president agreed.

"Research shows that when a student comes to college, if they can get involved, get to know their faculty get to know others around them, they tend to do better," Lois Richardson said. "We have mentoring, clubs and organizations, and they're each in place to help these young people who are out on their own for the first time."

Local college student Danielle Penton said getting involved is what helped her as she transitioned from high school.

Penton, 20, said she would "greatly encourage new college students to get involved ... it helps them out, and it gives them more pride in their college. It's also an opportunity to meet more people. Once I got involved, I developed better study habits."

Penton said she would encourage new college students to develop good study habits as well. "You have to get into a new routine and stick with that routine," she said.

Students should expect their teachers to be more hands-off in encouraging those good study habits, she added. "It's all up to you how well you do in college," Penton said. "You've got to learn how to study and study hard."

Mallory Davis, a University of Georgia student from Grayson High School, said that more than any other time in a student's academic career they are "on their own" in college.

"Everything was planned out for you when you were in high school," said Davis, who is currently president of the Student Government Association at UGA. "In college, it's all about how you manage your time personally, finding a good balance of your time and accomplishing all the things you'd like to accomplish within that time frame."

Added Davis: "You're away from your parents, and in many cases, it's the longest you've ever been away from home. You have to start learning how to budget, how to cook, how to do your laundry."

"It's a real world crash course," Davis said.

Stone agreed. "It's a little interesting at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's a great feeling."