The Third Important Component Of A Student 's Successful Transition

Stacy Lynn is the Coordinator of Student Activities at Mid-State Community College (MSCC). Stacy has just completed three new student orientation (NSO) sessions. The initial feedback from 525 new students and their families has been overwhelmingly positive. Stacy considers the NSO sessions to be a success, however on a personal level Stacy is feeling anything but success. This is due to the set of circumstances that led to the recent completion of the NSO sessions. Stacy was reassigned the NSO project when her colleague Kim Hickman, Director of Enrollment Management, informed Stacy that she was resigning and, as a result, the NSO was now Stacy’s responsibility. This news caught Stacy off

My first impression of Amherst was of beaming smiles. Surrounded by laughter and cheers, all my worries about making friends and fitting vanished. I couldn’t help but beam back. This first encounter with the Orientation Leaders and many other ones like it throughout orientation week set the tone for the rest of the year. I want to become an Orientation Leader to give the first years a great start to their Amherst experience.

Much attention has been given to post-secondary education and its effectiveness in North America. The discourse on the successes and failures of transitions between secondary and post-secondary education has highlighted the issues of student retention and attrition in post-secondary environments (Rosenbaum, 1998). This research therefore explores the distinctions between the education systems of Jamaica and Ontario, looking specifically at standardized testing and structural requirements in preparing students for post-secondary studies.

Vincent Tinto's Student Integration Theory of Persistence (1975, 1993) poses that students who feel involved with their institution are more likely to stay with and graduate from their institution of higher education. Tinto developed

The first two chapters of this book set the background for student development and how theory has evolved over the years. As time passed and college student demographics changed, new ideas and views were developed to understand the ever changing student body. Theorists realized that the college experience was different between demographic groups. Being able to develop student affairs practices and activities that can reach the different student groups is probably the biggest challenge a student affairs professional will tackle. It is said that student development is most achieved by involvement by the students. This means that these activities must be designed to accommodate students from all walks of life.

Promotion of Social Connections Campus and community provide a welcoming and inclusive environment that respects individuals while promoting community values. Pariticipation in the Colleges Transition Collaborative (CTC) Pre-Matriculation Social-Belonging Intervention exposes incoming students to stories that normalize and typify the challenges associated with transitioning to college. This fosters a different mindset in which belonging is viewed as a process that develops over time. With this mindset, students come to acknowledge that it is normal for everyone to face challenges and that they have the ability to learn and improve. Diversity programs encompass multiple efforts such as the availability of campus program houses and a Pre-Freshman Summer Program, as well as events designed to foster inclusiveness, for example the Orientation program, The Identity and Belonging Project which portrays diverse student narratives about how undergraduates discover a sense of

What a student learns or does not learn at the beginning will set the tone for his or her experience throughout their college life. This includes, but is not limited to, how college staff and students interact with one another. Without the existence of well-equipped staff and a structured system in place, students will not remain enrolled. And if there are no students, no college can exist. In fact, both staff and students are needed for a college to function.

HBU sets out to actively improve students’ lives, through new and innovating orientation programs that are quick to show the beauty of the campus,

The first year of school at Clark Atlanta was a brand new and exciting journey for several students. Students will combat new experiences in their initial year of college; it can even go together with a lot of bumps along the Semester As a student I had to realize how to balance my new life as a university student and the key transitions. My first semester biggest problem was transitioning and adapting to the new surroundings, attempting to create new friends and the problems adapting to college work.

Programs should be realistic about their goals because the argument is made that significant progress in academic support is difficult to achieve in only a few months (Kezar, 2000). Studies show that students in retention programs perform better than those who are not met with the same opportunity (Kezar, 2000). The Sumer-Bridge-University of California at Berkley provides proof to the success of these programs as it has demonstrated that bridge students there have a higher two-year retention rate than their counterparts despite having lower SAT scores than those who have not participated in the program (Ohland & Crockett, 2002). It is cautioned that these programs, while providing a jump start for success, should be met with ongoing support that surpasses the five to six weeks of summer preparation (Bradley, 2012). Some colleges have found implementation of a mandatory freshman orientation class for all incoming students beneficial, following participation in summer activities (Bradley, 2012).

It allows students to feel like a part of the college, as if the belong. Once a feeling of belonging has been established, it will become harder to leave, to give up or dropout.

When I was fresh incoming international orientation attendee, I got some trouble during my first week because for me, culture, country, people and many things new. Even I never visited another country before coming to the USA. I always spend my most of time with my family and the first time in my life I move to another country where everything is new for me. I felt nervous and frustrated. I had faced lots of trouble to understand everything. That is why my main approach for a new incoming student is, they will not have to face that thing which I had faced. That is the second main reason for me to help incoming freshman. I think that I can take responsibility to be an orientation leader because in 6 months of a period in Lamar university I became familiar with the campus facilities like Classroom, Library, Health centre, Rec centre, Baptist church, Research centre, Business building, cultural activities and recreational activities also. I also have a membership of IISE so participated organisational activities, discussion, sports, visits and much more with IE graduate and undergraduate students as well as faculties which will help to be an orientation

Many educational researchers agree that the need for belonging is one of the most important needs of all for students to function well in all types of learning environments (Connell & Well Born, 1991; Deci & Ryan, 1991; Finn, 1989; Osterman, 2000). The feeling of belonging may have a direct and powerful influence on students’ motivation (Goodenow, 1993). For example, perceived support and the sense of belonging are expected to increase students beliefs in their success and accordingly to increase their academic motivation. In fact, studies consistently reveal that when students experience a sense of belonging in educational environments, they are more motivated, more engaged in

Student personnel point of view encompasses the student as a whole. The concept of education is broadened o the student’’s well rounded development- physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually as well as intellectually. (sppv) Student affairs not only emphasize on academic excellence but to shape each individual as a unique human by providing a holistic learning and living environment. Student Affairs professionals play a pivotal role in the development of the students. By applying different theories in student development, they can foster student learning to help them shape their identity. Student affairs staff members must view themselves as educators to refute the belief that learning is held only in the classroom. (contested issue, 29). Learning does not only occur in the classroom but through out of class activities as well. Student affairs staff should talk about student learning and development to enhance the multiplicity of growth areas for students in higher education. These learning and development experiences do not simply happen to students. They happen with their active involvement. There are numerous branches of fields in student affairs that attend to the unique needs of each individual. Residence Director trains Residence assistance to cater to the needs of first year students who are new to the college environment. RA plays a major role of introducing the life of college through building relationships and community to help them develop their sense of

As we approach the midpoint of the semester, I find myself thinking about my expectations coming in as a fellow to this program and whether or not I have made any progress in fulfilling them. However, one of the biggest components I find myself lagging in is the student interaction component.