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!

From a Student Assistant

Hello ... I love this question!

I am a student assistant in the ACCESS Center here at Richland, which is why I received your email.

As a new student just two short years ago I will tell you that she is someone who is by choice or circumstance re-evaluating her life and wondering where to go next. She is nervous about taking classes because she hasn't been in school for a very long time. She is wondering how she will possibly fit in with other students who may be up to 20 years younger than she. She is scared that she will not be able to handle classes in addition to taking care of her family. She is unsure of what will be required of her. She is excited about her future. She has been in the workforce for many years making less than the national average and has come to realize the value of a college degree. She is needing help and information about how to pay for college. She will be a good student and will receive great grades. She is a long-time consumer and will expect to receive what she paid for. She may need help maneuvering around eCampus and eConnect and will not understand what "Lect, Web" or "OnlinePtl" means when trying to register for a math class.

She will also come to see her time at Richland as "one of the best things she ever did!" She will be very proud when she walks across the stage in May to receive her Associates Degree and will cry tears of joy when she receives her acceptance letter from TWU's Nursing School. She will miss Richland College because it has supported her, encouraged her, motivated her, and accepted her.