2008 Woodie Awards
Freshmen transition into college lifestyle
Chad Eldred
Issue date: 9/17/07 Section: News
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A small, inconspicuous group of freshmen engineering students gathers around a conference table Wednesday evening in the Miller Center.
A tray of Subway sandwiches and a plastic container filled with cookies sit in the middle of the wooden table, daring anyone to make the first move.
Some smile nervously around the room, others gaze at the compressed carpeting underneath their feet, not yet daring to make eye contact, and still others shift in their chairs, waiting for the right words to say.
Pleasantries are made, and then, out of the blue, a Jimmy Hoffa reference is made.
"They say he's buried under Giants Stadium," one says with a smile. "I almost applied for a Jimmy Hoffa Teamsters scholarship. Just think, a scholarship named for a guy killed by the mob."
Laughs follow, the ice is broken, nervous hands reach for food once seeming so far away, and in that instant, bonds form.
It was the first meeting for a group of freshmen taking part in the First Year Experience, a program designed to ease the transition many first-year students face upon first entering college.
Heather Smith, a second-year student and former participant of the First Year Experience, led the group session Wednesday evening and will continue to act as a confidant and academic mentor for the 19 students assigned to her group.
"I wanted to make an impression on someone and help them succeed," she said. "They are so used to high school and their parents telling them what to do or knowing the same people, but now you are stuck in a new city with new people you don't know, and it can be very nerve wracking."
Smith said lending a hand to incoming students seemed to be a natural step after reflecting back on her own feelings of apprehension just a year ago. Smith's position as an Academic Resource Mentor is aimed at guiding freshmen through various first-year academic jitters, but her service extends beyond classroom help.
"I hope they can come to me if they have a problem," she said. "Or if they don't feel comfortable talking to me about it, they at least know the campus offers help for them, and they are not alone. Other kids are in the same boat as them."
A tray of Subway sandwiches and a plastic container filled with cookies sit in the middle of the wooden table, daring anyone to make the first move.
Some smile nervously around the room, others gaze at the compressed carpeting underneath their feet, not yet daring to make eye contact, and still others shift in their chairs, waiting for the right words to say.
Pleasantries are made, and then, out of the blue, a Jimmy Hoffa reference is made.
"They say he's buried under Giants Stadium," one says with a smile. "I almost applied for a Jimmy Hoffa Teamsters scholarship. Just think, a scholarship named for a guy killed by the mob."
Laughs follow, the ice is broken, nervous hands reach for food once seeming so far away, and in that instant, bonds form.
It was the first meeting for a group of freshmen taking part in the First Year Experience, a program designed to ease the transition many first-year students face upon first entering college.
Heather Smith, a second-year student and former participant of the First Year Experience, led the group session Wednesday evening and will continue to act as a confidant and academic mentor for the 19 students assigned to her group.
"I wanted to make an impression on someone and help them succeed," she said. "They are so used to high school and their parents telling them what to do or knowing the same people, but now you are stuck in a new city with new people you don't know, and it can be very nerve wracking."
Smith said lending a hand to incoming students seemed to be a natural step after reflecting back on her own feelings of apprehension just a year ago. Smith's position as an Academic Resource Mentor is aimed at guiding freshmen through various first-year academic jitters, but her service extends beyond classroom help.
"I hope they can come to me if they have a problem," she said. "Or if they don't feel comfortable talking to me about it, they at least know the campus offers help for them, and they are not alone. Other kids are in the same boat as them."