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I wanted to bring this subject up because I was somewhat shocked by the dynamics of the incoming freshman orientation seminar I attended recently. In a nutshell, I felt like the same generic statements were repeated over and over again and it seemed like they assumed freshman were extremely incompetent. The "effective study habits" schpeel was delivered so frequently that I thought I was back in high school. I would assume that as young adults it should be expected that a fundamental grasp would already be in place and ideally extensive tutorials on this subject shouldn't be needed. A certain amount of assistance is appropriate but I truly felt as if they assumed the worst from the freshman. I think subconsciously this causes people to feel inadequate although this effect is not intended.
Furthermore, the efforts to get the students "engaged" with each other reminded me of something out of an elementary psychology handbook. Games that were similar in style to telephone/duck duck goose etc (except more awkward and intimate) were imposed on everyone for no apparent reason besides a weak effort to integrate students socially. It should be taken account that these infantile social rituals are not for everyone and thus creates a somewhat uncomfortable environment. I think young men and women should be treated like young men and women and not late adolescents that still need their hand held when entering a new environment.
Lastly, being so sentimental about the liberal arts education/spirituality and community/getting involved/etc, is not necessary and should mostly be negated. I'm personally very efficiency minded and if some of this non essential dialect was taken out my seminar could have been reduced to an afternoon rather than two days.
This is just some food for thought for those of you in charge of coordinating these efforts. In no way do I mean to attack or spread malice, I just think some of these suggestions could be taken into consideration.
Why do you assume there's anyone here "in charge of coordinating these efforts"? You should write a letter to the editor of your college newspaper.
RE: study habits, they probably have to preach to the lowest common denominator. You'd be surprised at the poor study and writing skills that come in each freshman year. Seriously. Faculty tear their hair out.
Agreed, the "ice breaker" exercises and "let's get chummy" games should be sacked. I've only seen them at dorm orientations, though. I've never been to an incoming freshman orientation seminar. My school didn't have one, AFAIK. But I think they drag them out to two days in order to create a sense of community, and give the students a chance to make new friends, or something. People coming from small towns can be terrified in a big school. It helps provide some sense of security and belonging. You may regard this as a bit hokey, but it really helps some people. Try to be patient on others' behalf.
I've worked in colleges for almost 15 years and I can tell you why this happens.
1) Administrators literally have to tell incoming or potential students the most basic, elementary policies and tips not because they assume the group is incompetent or uniformed. They know the majority of incoming students have their stuff together, however...there will be about 10% of the people in that group that will pull the "I was never told that" card at some point when they are failing college. By repeating the same stuff over and over those students do not have the ability to play that card.
2) College is now a business and either admission standards have been lowered or the number of students admitted have been raised because college is now a "business", which is a shame. So the admissions process that colleges used in the past to admit the students who "fit the academic model" has been weakened and/or ignored. Which means that when information is delivered to students, it must be delivered in a way that caters to the members of the lowest level in the group. To ensure they get the message, it's constantly repeated.
There's going to be a lot of unnecessary stuff that you'll go through your first year of college but know that it's not the end of the world and being in college will hopefully be one of the best experiences you've ever had. Good luck to you.
Everyone is different but the change from High School to College can be a bit dramatic and many aspects of college life are totally different. Unless things have changed, they don’t hand hold freshmen but they do try to manage to shock/major change. The social introduction was something likely helpful as odds are none of their High School friends were there. I know I personally found my first day inCollege lonely because I knew no one and that was the first time I had ever been in that situation as many of the people who went to grade school with me went to the same high school, but none to the same college.
Also there are some horror stories about freshmen going away for the first time. Schizophrenia is most likely to occur in the late adolescent/earlyadult hood and the stress of being away at college has been known to bring it and other bad things out.
As for getting involved that experience helps when you look for a job. It also puts your name out there and makes it more likely that you will be given additional opportunities in college.
Why do you assume there's anyone here "in charge of coordinating these efforts"? You should write a letter to the editor of your college newspaper.
RE: study habits, they probably have to preach to the lowest common denominator. You'd be surprised at the poor study and writing skills that come in each freshman year. Seriously. Faculty tear their hair out.
Agreed, the "ice breaker" exercises and "let's get chummy" games should be sacked. I've only seen them at dorm orientations, though. I've never been to an incoming freshman orientation seminar. My school didn't have one, AFAIK. But I think they drag them out to two days in order to create a sense of community, and give the students a chance to make new friends, or something. People coming from small towns can be terrified in a big school. It helps provide some sense of security and belonging. You may regard this as a bit hokey, but it really helps some people. Try to be patient on others' behalf.
btw, it's "infantilizing". From "infantile".
If they are going to implement these chummy games, they need to at least make an effort to create a more mature environment.
I do not think that I will happen upon someone on here who is an avid player in these orientation coordinating efforts. However, this is a college/university forum and I assume that there will be some people with insight.
I've worked in colleges for almost 15 years and I can tell you why this happens.
1) Administrators literally have to tell incoming or potential students the most basic, elementary policies and tips not because they assume the group is incompetent or uniformed. They know the majority of incoming students have their stuff together, however...there will be about 10% of the people in that group that will pull the "I was never told that" card at some point when they are failing college. By repeating the same stuff over and over those students do not have the ability to play that card.
2) College is now a business and either admission standards have been lowered or the number of students admitted have been raised because college is now a "business", which is a shame. So the admissions process that colleges used in the past to admit the students who "fit the academic model" has been weakened and/or ignored. Which means that when information is delivered to students, it must be delivered in a way that caters to the members of the lowest level in the group. To ensure they get the message, it's constantly repeated.
There's going to be a lot of unnecessary stuff that you'll go through your first year of college but know that it's not the end of the world and being in college will hopefully be one of the best experiences you've ever had. Good luck to you.
Thanks, and I agree with you on the unfortunate circumstance of many colleges becoming a business. The school I am going to has a 75% acceptance rate, which certainly illustrates this dynamic. I think the degree of monotony at these seminars has a direct relationship with admission standards.
Very informative post.
Thanks, and I agree with you on the unfortunate circumstance of many colleges becoming a business. The school I am going to has a 75% acceptance rate, which certainly illustrates this dynamic. I think the degree of monotony at these seminars has a direct relationship with admission standards.
Very informative post.
you should really know that acceptance % is a meaningless statistic because two of the main factors involved in calculating acceptance % are out of control of the university.....the total number of applicants and the quality/metrics of those applicants......if one school has 3,000 students apply and 2,500 of those students have a 4.0 GPA and a 1370 SAT and they accept all 2,500 of those students they would have an 83% acceptance rate while another school may have 10,000 applicants and 5,000 of them have a 3.25 GPA and a 1050 SAT and they accept all 5,000 of them.....and yet they have a 50% acceptance rate...to further solidify this point go look at the US Snooze information for the universities in your state and sort them by acceptance % and you will see some really terrible universities with terrible reputations and horrid graduation rates have a low acceptance %
I agree with omaraz for the most part, but I feel universities like to make students infants because infants accept whatever mush they are indoctrinated with in class no matter how stupid, false, easily disproved and often totally off topic from what the class is suppose to be that information is....it is part of turning university education from something that stimulates individual thought into a series of indoctrinations designed to make you another mindless mush brained PC drone
same with the intimacy with total strangers....it is part of making you believe that you are suppose to open up and be intimate with or accepting of anyone and anything that moves no matter the values or ideals that you may personally hold.....toss all those in the garbage and just start being intimate and uncomfortable with anyone and anything to prove that you are open minded and accepting to all......and of course toss moral values and professionalism or any type of boundaries aside because of course "boundaries" are "closed minded" or "exclusionary" and to "learn" you need to have your limits pushed especially when it comes to moral and social limits and personal space or personal limits....even though once in the work place those limits will often be enforced rigorously so as to not have others "offended"
if students were simply told they were going to be held accountable for showing up to class on time, paying attention in class, not txting or babbling on their cell phones, turning assignments in on time, there is a chance they might fail out if they perform poorly and that they are expected to study that would all involve personal responsibility and accountability which often requires individuals to think and act for themselves and to accept accountability for their failures......which is threatening to many current aspects of higher education
I wanted to bring this subject up because I was somewhat shocked by the dynamics of the incoming freshman orientation seminar I attended recently. In a nutshell, I felt like the same generic statements were repeated over and over again and it seemed like they assumed freshman were extremely incompetent. The "effective study habits" schpeel was delivered so frequently that I thought I was back in high school. I would assume that as young adults it should be expected that a fundamental grasp would already be in place and ideally extensive tutorials on this subject shouldn't be needed. A certain amount of assistance is appropriate but I truly felt as if they assumed the worst from the freshman. I think subconsciously this causes people to feel inadequate although this effect is not intended.
Part of the problem is that many freshmen ARE extremely incompetent, which speaks to lax admissions standards, but as others have pointed out, when running a school as a business becomes top priority, the practice of collecting as many tuition-payers as possible, regardless of demonstrated ability level, changes the landscape quite a bit. In order to try to offset the fact that they've admitted many, many students who are not what would have been traditionally considered "college material" decades ago, schools feel they need to do this damage control. Instead of only admitting students who come already prepared to be independent students, colleges increasingly admit people who have not proven that they can do this, and come from backgrounds of copious handholding. It used to be that the handful of people who made it to college who were not ready for college got weeded out...now, schools do everything within their power to prevent those students from being weeded out.
I went to college ready for it. If there were "how to study" orientation activities, I either didn't attend them, or they didn't make such a negative impression on me that I felt for any reason inadequate. I probably just assumed some people must need that.
Quote:
Furthermore, the efforts to get the students "engaged" with each other reminded me of something out of an elementary psychology handbook. Games that were similar in style to telephone/duck duck goose etc (except more awkward and intimate) were imposed on everyone for no apparent reason besides a weak effort to integrate students socially. It should be taken account that these infantile social rituals are not for everyone and thus creates a somewhat uncomfortable environment. I think young men and women should be treated like young men and women and not late adolescents that still need their hand held when entering a new environment.
I was an R.A., which meant that I coordinated residence hall orientation (and I did freshman dorms, exclusively, which meant that students came early for Freshman Orientation, as well). We didn't do summer camp-style games, but I was responsible for planning optional activities, along with others on my team, that were by my estimation age appropriate and of a reasonable social maturity level. There were definitely mixer activities planned to help people who were looking for social opportunities (cookouts planned by floor, etc.) Attendance wasn't mandatory, but most chose to join in. If you think about it, this is a normal part of community, something social groups, clubs, organizations, and some living situations do all the time. Not everyone finds social plans infantile; many are glad to have them. If people choose not to avail themselves of organized social activities, that's cool, but organizing them and making them available isn't anything crazy or weird or immature, to me. It's not hand-holding to make things welcoming and socially appealing. Considering that feeling unwelcome, lonely, and socially isolated is a leading cause of depression and difficulty adjusting to a move, new living situation, etc., these things do make beginning school and easier transition for many, and that's why they exist. I get that not everyone's social, or wants to take part in organized social activities, but many are, and do, obviously.
Others have mentioned that upper teens and, more often, early twenties are a common time for the onset of mental health issues if a person is going to have them, and it makes sense that these environments would anticipate this reality. It's just an age when the onset of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues is not uncommon.
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Lastly, being so sentimental about the liberal arts education/spirituality and community/getting involved/etc, is not necessary and should mostly be negated. I'm personally very efficiency-minded and if some of this non essential dialect was taken out my seminar could have been reduced to an afternoon rather than two days.
I'm not sure what this means. I think part of it lies in choosing the environment that is right for you. Also, probably in not attending a liberal arts school if you aren't in favor of the philosophies behind the liberal arts. I intentionally went to a small parochial school that's philosophies were very rooted in community, social justice, and service...this was important to me, and an academically challenging school that emphasized this in tandem with rich academics and elite research opportunities was a good fit. For somebody who really doesn't care much about these things, a school that does not emphasize that piece of learning would be a better fit. Things that are nonessential to one person may well be essential to another for an optimum learning experience, and so it's best to find an environment that fits your needs and wants best.
I think most of the things you raise issue with could be best avoided by careful attention during the selection process to make sure the culture and atmosphere of the school you will attend is a good fit. If you don't want a warm, fuzzy, Kum-Ba-Yah school, don't go to one...simple enough. There are lots of different schoosl out there with lots of different approaches, characters, and atmospheres.
Last edited by TabulaRasa; 07-10-2013 at 10:11 AM..
I wanted to bring this subject up because I was somewhat shocked by the dynamics of the incoming freshman orientation seminar I attended recently. In a nutshell, I felt like the same generic statements were repeated over and over again and it seemed like they assumed freshman were extremely incompetent. The "effective study habits" schpeel was delivered so frequently that I thought I was back in high school. I would assume that as young adults it should be expected that a fundamental grasp would already be in place and ideally extensive tutorials on this subject shouldn't be needed. A certain amount of assistance is appropriate but I truly felt as if they assumed the worst from the freshman. I think subconsciously this causes people to feel inadequate although this effect is not intended.
Furthermore, the efforts to get the students "engaged" with each other reminded me of something out of an elementary psychology handbook. Games that were similar in style to telephone/duck duck goose etc (except more awkward and intimate) were imposed on everyone for no apparent reason besides a weak effort to integrate students socially. It should be taken account that these infantile social rituals are not for everyone and thus creates a somewhat uncomfortable environment. I think young men and women should be treated like young men and women and not late adolescents that still need their hand held when entering a new environment.
Lastly, being so sentimental about the liberal arts education/spirituality and community/getting involved/etc, is not necessary and should mostly be negated. I'm personally very efficiency minded and if some of this non essential dialect was taken out my seminar could have been reduced to an afternoon rather than two days.
This is just some food for thought for those of you in charge of coordinating these efforts. In no way do I mean to attack or spread malice, I just think some of these suggestions could be taken into consideration.
The solution is SIMPLE. Don't go.
People who are mature recognize that sometimes the good of the many comes before the wants of the few. You are not harmed by skipping orientation or even going through social games but many students suffer from isolation, anxiety, lack of study skills etc and they are benefited by those programs.
So just because you don't benefit from them doesn't mean they are not literal life savers for other people.
Ultimately if you really are soooo mature, than exercise your right NOT to go OR even better, be less self absorbed, and recognize that these things benefit many and are thus valuable.
I went to college many years ago, but the whole orientation thing seems to be about the same.
I was just thinking the other day about how redundant orientation was. Well, then it dawned on me---decades later--they really don't expect every student to attend every orientation session! Its not like they take attendance! For me, orientation was a way to get settled in, get your bearings, figure your way around campus, figure out the bus system, etc, etc. Don't get aggravated by those little seminars, what do you truly expect them to say?
Many students are there on some sort of grant, Dad's money, etc. Its just a big party. When the money runs out, they quit, whining all the way out the door---it was too hard, no one cared about me, or, the old saw---"i'm going to commit suicide!"----well, please, don't be too messy, the rest of us live here, too!
Look, if you're looking for a place that caters to your whims/whines, cares about your feelings, give you unlimited counseling, day or night, there's always a hot line, crisis center, whatever, to discuss your "feeling of the minute", if your looking for and excuse to build up wishbones instead of a backbone, then.....perhaps you're in the wrong place?
Last edited by toobusytoday; 07-10-2013 at 10:44 AM..
Reason: Removed rude comment
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they really don't expect every student to attend every orientation session! Its not like they take attendance! For me, orientation was a way to get settled in, get your bearings, figure your way around campus, figure out the bus system, etc, etc. Don't get aggravated by those little seminars, what do you truly expect them to say?
