NPR: The first year of college is crucial for setting students up for success, laying a strong foundation for the rest of college and beyond. Research shows that if you finish your first year and sign up for the second, you're far more likely to get that degree.
8 comments:
This is a rather generic article about college and freshman year, but it does a have a simple feel to it which is kind of good. What I really like about this article is the notion of getting your moneys worth, I for one also came to college with networking in mind as well as training, but would never treat my education here and other job opportunities or internships as the same thing whatsoever. At a job or internship, it is more important to ask your questions quietly and make sure that your not asking dumb questions to people who you wouldn't want to view you as dumb (you should still ask questions, just to trusted people). In a college setting, you should have free reign to ask as many questions as you want and really go through the proper measures to beyond just passing classes but actually learning a thing or two while you're at it.
I didn't find this article to state anything I didn't already know. People always talk about going to office hours and mapping out a path. We are luck y because our required classes fit right into the schedule exactly where they need to be. The handbook the sophomores made up was quite helpful. It's possible that the workload hasn't ramped up yet, but college seems to be quite manageable. Each year, school gets more difficult and there's a lot of stigma around that. I remember the fourth graders telling me in third grade that we were going to start getting homework and being really worried about that. The people who make it to college are the ones who they think can handle it.
I like this article. I feel like it hits a lot of good points. I think one of the biggest things to consider before going to school is really whether or not you even want to. So many people are pressured into getting a higher education now, but it really is not for everyone. Schools that have a lot a credential like CMU are also not for everyone, which is something that a lot of people miss too. Just because this school is highly ranked and produces good professionals, it is not meant to suit every single undergraduate in the world. It can be hard to justify going to a lesser school I guess, but it is important to be honest with yourself about what you want from a school and what each school is going to give to you. I can definitely see how making it past the first year is a good indication that you will probably graduate, because for me, I would feel like I had wasted a crazy amount of time and money if I did not make it to the finish line at this point. I almost feel like I have no choice but to graduate from this school. I hear people talk about how you can always change your mind, but I think I am well past that point.
This is pretty generic information I feel like. It definitely is a good guideline for generic freshmen entering into college, but the School of Drama is completely different than any other freshmen experience at CMU. We all came here with a purpose because each of us had to audition or interview. We can’t pick our classes because, for most of us, Amy made our schedules with our required classes. We have close connections with most of our teachers and faculty because we are all on a first name basis. The list goes on. I feel like it was much more helpful to get real advice from upperclassmen that had already gone through freshman year. They were able to provide real information. What I personally found most helpful was a guide to freshman year that the sophomore DP’s sent us over the summer. They annotated the materials list telling us what was absolutely necessary to buy. This is a great article, but I feel like it is way too generic to apply to us.
I agree with the article on a couple of different points. I do think that it is important to go to college with a purpose. When spending a lot of money on an education, having an aim or goal in mind is very important. At my high school, they advised us to find that goal at community college before transferring to a four-year. I thought this was a smart idea for people in that position because it would mean a huge cost-savings while you explore your interests in higher education. Most of the other ideas listed in the article do appear to be common, like visiting a professor during their office hours, or making a group of friends. An idea that I think is particularly important is the fact that we are paying money to attend the school and so the school should listen to its students who make the school operate with their funds.
J.D. Hopper
I agree with the article on a couple of different points. I do think that it is important to go to college with a purpose. When spending a lot of money on an education, having an aim or goal in mind is very important. At my high school, they advised us to find that goal at community college before transferring to a four-year. I thought this was a smart idea for people in that position because it would mean a huge cost-savings while you explore your interests in higher education. Most of the other ideas listed in the article do appear to be common, like visiting a professor during their office hours, or making a group of friends. An idea that I think is particularly important is the fact that we are paying money to attend the school and so the school should listen to its students who make the school operate with their funds.
I think a lot of times, people see these articles and the same advice over and over again and get frustrated by how generic they all are. On the other hand, I do think it’s important to note that there is obviously a reason why we keep hearing the same points over and over! It’s because they’re true! In all honesty, I have heard all these points multiple times but haven’t necessarily done a good job at listening to them. In other words, I think what we should be thinking isn’t “Generic advice I’ve heard already” but rather “Maybe there’s a reason why people keep pushing this.” An especially important one is the first point: Go to college on purpose. If you don’t have your own reason to be here, something other than “My parents expect me to” or “My high school made me apply,” you will not do well.
Advice I haven’t done a good job at listening to is making a faculty connection and going to office hours. I have been given plenty of opportunities and information on how to do so but have yet to make that step. I will be trying my best to do that soon.
I definitely feel like this article delivers good, basic information on how to “survive” the first year of college (and beyond, I suppose). I will acknowledge that there are many people for whom college is not the best option - be it for monetary reasons (not enough financial aid or not enough money to start out with); for reasons of skill where college would not grant them enough of a “payoff” skill-wise and the workforce is a better option; or just out of pure lack of willingness to attend a college or university. The point about making the most of your education by asking questions was a very nice - and, I think, often-forgotten - point, though. In the School of Drama (and for DPs especially), I don’t feel like this information is extraordinarily useful. We are on a first-name basis with faculty and staff here, everyone (in our class, at least) is very tightly knit as a group, and our classes are pre-chosen for us to fit together perfectly.
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