First-Year

The first year for a college student is a time of transition—including adjusting to life away from home, learning how to manage their own time, developing new study skills, making friends, getting involved in clubs/organizations, and the list goes on. In the classroom, students are experiencing new teaching styles, larger classes, and different degrees of course difficulty.  All of these experiences and challenges, many of which happen simultaneously, can be overwhelming but lead to an enormous amount of growth.

By the numbers… click the photo on the right to learn more about why the first year is such a big deal. Infographic courtesy of UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute Your First College Year survey.

Support from parents and family can play an important and helpful role during this critical year.  The following is a list of what parents and family members can expect during the first year, and ways that you can support your student.

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