Tens of thousands of Michigan students will head to college for the first time this fall, entering a world with more freedom, fewer daily routines and far greater responsibility than high school.
Whether they’re commuting to a community college or moving across the country, experts say many students are surprised not by the coursework but by everything else: managing their time, building new friendships and knowing when to ask for help.
“Even if you’re staying at home, there’s a transition of (being in a) new academic space that you need to navigate,” Aesha Mustafa, an assistant professor of leadership and counseling at Eastern Michigan University, said. “There are all these freedoms. Your social support changes. While college can be an amazing experience, it doesn’t change the fact that it is a transition. Even if you’re the most prepared person, it is probably bigger than your high school.”
The Detroit Free Press talked with Michigan higher education experts, who offered advice on what first-time college students can do now to get prepared for the start of school and what they should keep in mind when school starts.
Practice independent living
Practice this by doing your own laundry, scheduling your own appointments and generally managing your own time, Shane Lewis, director of undergraduate admissions at Oakland University, said.
“I think what the biggest shock is for students when they get here isn’t necessarily the rigor or difficulty of college course material,” he said. “It’s that they have a lot of free time suddenly and they have to manage that free time on their own.”
In college, you spend a lot less time in the physical classroom compared with high school but you’re expected to do a lot more on your own outside the classroom, such as studying independently and working, he said.
Lewis advises treating college like a 9-to-5 job, blocking out time to study, do homework and write essays, for example.
The summer is a good time to practice doing that, Lewis said.
Make appointments with academic adviser and counseling services
Set up an appointment with an academic adviser at your school for about three weeks after the semester starts, Mustafa said. That way, you’ll have the appointment if you need it, and if you don’t, you can cancel. She said that in October, academic advisers’ schedules often get busier, and it can be harder to get an appointment.
Counselors at the Detroit College Access Network, a network of organizations that promotes higher education in Detroit, will connect with students over the summer to ensure they find the appropriate offices on campus. For example, if the student has an individualized education program (IEP), a written document for students with disabilities that outlines the student’s educational needs, or any accommodation in high school, those counselors will help students advocate for themselves and their needs now before heading to college, Cyekeia Lee, executive director of DCAN, said.
Get connected ASAP
“Find a way to get meaningfully connected to the campus early,” Darryl Gardner, vice provost for student success, support and engagement at Wayne State University, said. He suggests, even before the first day of classes, finding other students with whom you share a connection.
Colleges will often create these opportunities for students. Wayne State, for example, does this at its new student orientation, Gardner said.
“Once you have your people, your accountability partners, student partners, people to do extracurricular activities with, it gives students some staying power,” he said.
Attend office hours
Many college professors offer office hours, which are dedicated hours outside of class that students can meet with their professor to talk about whatever is on the student’s mind.
“It can be so intimidating as a first-year student,” Mustafa said. She hears from students who don’t know what to talk about during office hours, and she encourages them to go, even just to introduce themselves or ask the question, “What would make me a successful student in this class?”
She encourages them to attend office hours before big problems arise. Mustafa said some students may not reach out to their professor with problems until the end of the semester because of shame, depression or anxiety, and a lot of issues could have been caught earlier on, she said.
Think about finances now
Budgeting is a “huge piece of adulting that falls on students to learn as they enter college,” Lewis said.
One underutilized resource for students (and parents) who are overwhelmed with a big tuition bill ahead of the start of the semester is a payment plan, Katie Condon, vice president of enrollment management at Eastern Michigan, said.
“It allows you to pay it through that whole semester, and then you can get another payment plan for the next semester, and that becomes a lot more doable,” Condon said. “You can tackle those as you go month by month as opposed to trying to come up with that $6,000 initially to start.”
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Universities are filled with resources, people and support systems there to help students through their collegiate journey.
“Sometimes I think there can be a stigma attached to asking for help and I just think students should know they shouldn’t be afraid,” Lewis said.
Quick things to do before the start of the fall semester
Lewis said students should sign up now for the automated campus text alerts and program the nonemergency campus police phone number into their phones now.
Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Experts offer tips to students headed to college for the first time
Reporting by Adrienne Roberts, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Adrienne Roberts, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
