From an Advisor

The new to college student has many faces and backgrounds.

The new to college student could be:
    1)..an adult learner that is changing a career but never attended college(this is a first year Adult Student)
    2)..a student with disabilities
    3)..a student from a color community(e.g.African American, Asian and Pacific Islander American, Latino, Native American, multiracial and biracial)
    4)..a LGBT(lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) student 
    5)..an International student
    6)...a first-generation college student facing first-year challenges
    7)..a veteran
    8)..an honor student

I am sure there are many other faces but the above list just gives a few.

From Another Advisor

My best suggestion if for you to come by the Advising Center any time and work with Advisors as they see actual new to college students...in between, you can pick our brains!  We see the new to college students before anyone else (except for Admissions).

From an Advisor

 

The majority of new to college students usually come from parents who either have no college education or no more than a community college education. The majority do not know what they want to major them. They know college is different from highschool, but they don't know how. They usually don't have a lot of money for classes, but they are willing to do the best they can and many depend on financial aid. Most will end up in at least one or two developmental courses.

 

 

I hope that helps. What will this course be called? We already have a Learning Frameworks class called HDEV 1300. Is that the one you mean? Is this going to be mandatory in addition to HDEV 0092, which is already mandatory for all new students who do not pass into college level courses?

 

If a student can only afford to take two courses one semester, it sounds like this student may have to do HDEV 0092 and then HDEV 1300 or Learning Frameworks course, unable to take any other course for that first semester. Is this correct? Can you tell me more.

 

This is particularly important to know as an advisor. I imagine my boss knows all about this?

 

 

 

 

From a Long Time Advisor

As advisors, we see so many different types of new-to-college-students!Each semester we see such VARIETY in their ages, life stages, socioeconomic backgrounds, family educational aspirations, cultural differences, and you can name many other variations that make our students somewhat unique from those possibly found at other colleges.Just yesterday working in the advising center I had a woman who is 56 going  to school for the first time who had been helping the elderly in their homes. She wanted to start at Richland but then go on to El Centro for Vocational Nursing. I also had a young man who was here to sign up for 5 classes (required number for the military), and then was going off to the army. He was all of 19 years old with a wife and a child. I also had another student right out of high school with high reading and writing scores who needed his math assessment testing.

Is it possible, Gary, to actually some of these very new to college students to have them give us input about what would like to see offered in a class like this? As professionals we have a good idea of relevant topics; however, I don't know that we do many focus groups with actual students to see what their needs are...

My ideas for relevant topics:
Career planning
Campus resources
Library tutorials
Study skills
Time management
Investigating class formats (DL, cooperative learning, learning communities, studies abroad, honors, global studies, etc.)

Good luck with this very worthwhile endeavor!

Haiku From a Very Caring Advisor

When I think of the face of our students, there are so many images. We see single parents struggling to improve their situation, who need all the help they can find.
I see returning adults, who are fearful of failure but usually set the bar very high in the classroom.
I see young students out of high school, who can't go to a four year school, although their skills are excellent.
I see young students out of high school, who do not have college level skills but want to complete a degree.
I see young students out of high school, who have no desire to be here, but their parents tell them they must be here and take a full load for insurance purposes.
I see students who are here taking a full load so they are able to receive the maximum financial aid package.
I see students who did not complete high school, but they want to continue their education.
I see students who work full time, have a family , and still manage to do well in the classroom.
I see students who are at a crossroads in their lives and know they don't want to continue in their career path, so they are looking for change or to follow their instinct.

From the Advising Desk

At my desk here in Advising, a significant minority of students that I have seen who are new to the college are transferring in from another district, or are currently attending an university and are taking summer classes.

I have also seen a few who started at an university and did not do well, so after a short break decided to start all over here at RLC.

 

It appears that the majority who I have seen have recently graduated high school, or are about to graduate. They come from all walks of life, and a minority also arrive with their parents to talk with me.

 

I would estimate that more than 1/2 have other commitments including work commitments and a majority of those students work full or nearly full time.