Fye map

Month

Week

Academic Calendar New Sooner Enrollment (Advising period/Financial Plan) Camp Crimson

Summer

Student’s Experience Week Specific Non-specific Early Summer: Filled with nostalgia from high school, (romantic) relationships may intensify, expectation setting for college, students cope with leaving home by drinking excessively or flaunting parental authority (students are less likely to adopt these behaviors if they have summer jobs or are enrolled in summer programs) (Zuker, 1997) Late Summer: Students might cope with leaving by cutting off relationships and source emotional support, start to acknowledge the approaching separation. (Zuker, 1997)

RA Training/ Moving In

Convocation Sooner Orientation Weekend

1

2

Before Sept 1st: 100% Reduction of Charges on Dropped Courses, no charges, no record of grade 4th: Labor Day Sept 5th – Oct 27th: Automatic W for Dropped Courses

3 September

OU Compass Survey

4

Week Specific

Non-specific

Student should avoid taking too many courses or enrolling in courses that are too advanced. […] Students should ask about the level of difficulty of advanced courses and judge if they need some lower-level work to give them better preparation (Zuker, 1997).

Orientation programs enhanced students’ abilities to be successful by providing them with the necessary academic and social tools to begin their collegiate journey (Perigo & Upcraft, 1990).

Students need reassurance from the important people in their lives to help them understand that they have their support and love irrespective of the outcome of their college experience. (Zuker, 1997)

Students may experience acute separation anxiety (Zuker, 1997)

21st: First day of classes 25th: Last day to register for class Howdy Week

August

Research Responses

Students who thought they had made friends, were adjusting well, and satisfied with their social life during the first three weeks of their first semester in college were also more likely to complete a degree within five years. (Tinto, 1993; Upcraft and Gardner, 1989)

Ritualizing special moments can make the passage much easier for both students and family. Parents can find a way to honor this family event with a ritual such as a dinner in which special attention is paid to the college-bound student.

Students should take part in campus orientation and consult RAs and others especially trained to help new students learn the rules (Zuker, 1997).

“A freshman’s most critical Whether they attend a floor meeting or an all[Roommate conflicts] (stem from different transition period occurs during hall gathering, students can benefit from backgrounds/identities) should be the first two to six weeks.” (Levitz social interactions and start to establish addressed through official channels & Noel, 1989) personal communities within the institution. (written agreement) only after good Honeymoon phase: Other initiatives that may help students faith effort to make the roommate Students may feel overwhelmed; acclimate to college include programming relationship work has proved meeting new roommates, focused on the first-year transition; unsuccessful. learning the ins and outs of encouraging students’ involvement in Educate students about the concept of campus bureaucracy and about residential leadership activities; and creating choice and moderation (regarding academic and social connections between students and faculty experiences with alcohol, tobacco, expectation may produce stress. through events such as mentoring programs, drugs, and/or sexual activities), help Substance abuse: Freshmen invited lectures, and informal meetings them recognize the consequences of expect intellectual excitement (Hoffenberger et al., 1999). such behavior (Zuker, 1997). and a thriving social life.

Students may experiment/extend their experiences with alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and/or sexual activities.

Connection: Students find one or two people that they’re comfortable with and tend to remain close to them and make no additional contact (Zuker, 1997).

Students may still have the chance to catch up on coursework if they have fallen behind. Students who wait until mid-term grades to determine that they have a problem may not have sufficient time or opportunity to improve their grades.

(Woosley, 2003) Studies and statistics also End-of-Honeymoon phase: show that students new to First quiz/paper grades are almost university typically face their always lower than students first challenges or show first received in high school. This

Let students know that being homesick is normal. Help students to plan early for the return home over the holidays.

5

Possible Midterm #1 21st: Survey

6

7 8 9

October 10

Advisement Period OU/TX Week Possible Midterm #2 Sept 5th – Oct 27th: Automatic W for Dropped Courses Oct 23rd – Nov 17th: Advance Registration

signs of struggle during the third and fourth week of transition to college life (UNO) Stress from exams (Zuker, 1997).

FY students who exhibit signs of insecurity and poor social skills prior to entering university life have a greater tendency to exhibit signs of homesickness during the sixth week of their first term (Fisher and Hood, 1988)

experience can be difficult for students who “coasted” through high school (Zuker, 1997).

Feeling of inadequacy when it comes to adjustment from high school to college: relationship, academic performance, social acceptance (resulting from false expectation).

Values exploration.

“In locos parentis” problems – students feel depressed because of real or perceived restrictive policies and regulations of college.

Long distance relationship seems more difficult. Family problems seem more intense because they get caught in the middle or may feel helpless due to distance.

Financial Adjustment to a tighter budget.

International student adjustment: Experience confusion, vulnerability, and a lack of any advocate in higher positions while trying to make a successful cultural and academic transition (ECU) After 6 weeks or so on Crisis: campus, students start to Students feel overwhelmed with adjust to the institution, the pace of college life, that half adapt the culture, expand of the semester is already over. their circle of friends, and Students are under pressure from become more involved on test, paper, extracurricular life. campus Students may want to dropout or Stress from exams, especially transfer to another institution. if they did poorly on their first Experience reverse culture shock ones (Zuker, 1997). at home when students visit Dating/non-dating/friendship home. anxieties extremely high.

Avoidance of responsibility is the Non-dating students feel a surest sign of a high level of sense of loss of self-esteem. anxiety about academic Females who date feel performance (hyperventilation or pressured to perform panic attacks associated with sexually, increase in feelings test taking, sleeping more than of rejection, loneliness, guilt, 12 hours, skipping class, and unwanted sexual activity. procrastination).

Students whom aren’t Crisis phase may continue or involved/in group feel stuck worsen until the middle of the because of lacking ability to second or third term of students’ participate in activities. first year (Zuker, 1997).

Educate students about time management.

Introducing academic support resources (tutoring, writing center) to help students. (Zuker, 1997).

Providing a warm, fun, relaxed orientation where students connect socially and familiarize themselves with the school before classes begin.

Normalizing feelings of homesickness.

Helping students reframe their intense homesickness as a positive reflection of the loving attachment they have.

Reducing acculturation stress by providing relevant information, promoting community connections and opportunities to celebrate homeland traditions.

Teach students coping mechanisms.

Facilitating social activity and involvement in various aspects of school culture.

Encouraging a connection with home that does not eclipse the formation of new friendships at school.

Reminding students that treatment for homesickness is a gradual process.

Connecting students with lay and professional support resources on and off campus.

(Thurber & Walton, 2012) Teach students on how to be self-starter.

Educate students about academic integrity and plagiarism (Zuker, 1997)

11

November

12 13 14 15 16 17

December

Oct 30th: W or F for Dropped Courses (Petition to College Dean to Drop Course) Possible Midterm #3 Oct 23rd – Nov 17th: Advance Registration 22 – 26: Thanksgiving Break Prep Week

Finals Week

Financial strain due to lack of budgeting skills Excitement about holidays begins to grow.

Disenchantment with school (ECU) Depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts may occur due to inability to cope.

Roommate problems emerge due to stress Health (changing weather, food quality, bad habits) affects performance.

Students give up making attempts to establish new friendships (ECU) Stress from exams Depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts may increase Increase in substance abuse Financial worry due to travel cost and gift Pre-holiday blues emerges, especially those who have family conflicts/no home Relationship tensions become high (ECU)

Campuses are always looking for ways to support the health education needs of students. Whether through the campus health center or in information from their RAs, institutions provide resources for healthy living as well as services to respond to students’ health needs. (Zeller, 2008)

Fisher, S., & Hood, B. (1988). Vulnerability factors in the transition to university: Self-reported mobility history and sex differences as factors in psychological disturbance. British Journal of Psychology, 79, 309-320.

Hoffenberger, K., Mosier, R., & Stokes, B. (1999). Transition experience. In J. H. Schuh (Ed.), Educational programming and student learning in college and university residence halls (pp. 34-49).

Columbus, OH: Association of College & University Housing Officers – International.

Levitz, R., & Noel, L. (1989). Connecting students to institutions: Keys to retention and success. In M. L. Upcraft, J. N. Gardner, & Associates, The freshman year experience (pp. (65-81). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Perigo, D.J. & Upcraft, M. L. (1990). Orientation Programs. In Upcraft, M.L. & Gardner J.N. (Eds.), The freshman year experience: Helping students survive and succeed in college (pp. 82-94). San Francisco & Oxford: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Thurber, Christopher A., & Walton, Edward A. (2012) Homesickness and Adjustment in University Students, Journal of American College Health, 60:5, 415-419, DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2012.673520 Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press.

University of New Orleans. (2013). UNO’s Office of First Year Experience Encourages New Students to StartStrong. Retrieved from http://www.uno.edu/news/2012/UNOs-Office-of-First-Year-ExperienceEncourages-New-Students-to-StartStrong.aspx Upcraft, M.L. and Gardner, J.N. (1989). A comprehensive approach to enhancing freshman success. In M.L. Upcraft, J.N. Gardner, and Associates (Eds.), The Freshman Year Experience (p. 1-12). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Woosley, S. A. (2003). HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF COLLEGE? THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF INITIAL COLLEGE EXPERIENCES. College Student Journal, 37(2), 201.

Zeller, W. J. (Ed.). (2008). Residence life and the new student experience (Monograph No. 5, 3rd ed.). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Zuker, R. F. (1997). Stress points in the college transition: What to expect/how to help students cope. College Board Review, 183, 14-21.