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UDC Students Practice Their New Balancing Act

BY JARREAU BARNES

Graduating from high school is a rewarding experience. All of the hard work and determination pays off once a senior receives their diploma. Students soon find new challenges however as they enter university. For freshman, they are required to transition from a place where they seemed so comfortable, to a world that is unfamiliar. This school of thought also applies to transfer students. These students have challenges as well.

Joanna Preston, formerly of Friendship Collegiate Academy, is a freshman at UDC. She believes that the biggest transition for her has been, “Being mature. I’m still young.” She also states, “Having an excuse for not getting work done is not acceptable at the collegiate level.” Preston has also found it challenging to join clubs at the university. She recalls, “In high school, you could just walk into a room and join a club. Here, you have to find the building that it is in and meet certain criteria.” Fortunately for Preston and other freshman, they are not the first to experience this transition.

Anthony Hines, a junior, addresses obstacles he faced during his transitional period from high school to college. He recalls, “You don’t get reminded of a lot of things. Time management is very important.” He offers this advice, “Be willing to give up your free time and be flexible. Plan everything around your school schedule and not your school schedule around everything.” Meanwhile, LaTasha Wheeler, a senior remembers, “The classes [being] different.” As a transfer student, she advises freshman to, “…develop strong study habits to succeed in college.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Joseph Pinkney, education counselor in the division of Student Affairs suggests that, “Students, particularly freshman, should study three hours for every hour of class.” He believes that since many freshmen do not have parents who enrolled in college, an academic advisor is needed to help them throughout their collegiate career. “Many freshmen come in trying to take too many classes at one time. If an academic advisor was available to tell them, ‘you may need to drop this course,’ then that will help them in the long run instead of knocking them out of the box early.”

 

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