Transitions
As the old year transitions into the new, it’s fitting to consider other upcoming transitions in academic life. One of the biggest is the transition from high school to college. Now is the time of year when this next step is foremost on the minds of high school upper classmen and college freshmen.
High school juniors are beginning the college search process in earnest, while high school seniors are finishing the application process and, if they have applied Early Decision or Early Action, will be hearing soon about their first choice schools.
College freshmen, meanwhile, are finishing up their first semester at school. For some, winter break may be a time of reckoning if the first semester didn’t turn out as expected. Our advice? Take heart and make plans! This month, watch for our Facebook Discussion which features Kathy Essig interviewing college freshman Liam, who talks about the things that he knows now that he wishes he had known before going to college.
A preview of Liam’s advice: “Getting adjusted to college is just hard, like, it's just difficult at first. [Have] the mindset that it will be okay, I can trip in my first semester and won't need to drop out or be a failure. You will make mistakes and I now wish I could have been more gentle with myself when I made mistakes in the past, because I now know everyone is making them. You aren't alone in your mistakes, you are a smart person, you will be fine. So, let yourself be okay.”
Use the transition into the new year to also change your study habits. With the benefit of knowing what didn’t work for you, remember Liam’s observation that you’re not alone in your mistakes. Rather than beating yourself up about what’s past, you can take concrete steps towards success next semester. One important thing to do is to connect with campus resources, such as utilizing writing or math labs, taking advantage of professor’s office hours, or academic or disability support services.
In fact, did you know that if you have a disability and did not apply for college accommodations, it’s not too late? You can still approach the disability support office to apply for accommodations such as note-takers or copies of notes, extra time on exams, and other supports for next semester. Understand that any accommodations you are approved for will not be retroactive, nor can they be used as justification to change any bad grades from last semester, but they can be extremely helpful moving forward.
EEG can also help. We offer several options for executive function support in college, and reviewed them in last month’s blog, which you can access at this link: https://www.essigeducationgroup.com/blog/meta-thankful
There are also changes in family dynamics that come with unmet expectations at the end of the first semester, whether college, high school, or even elementary and middle school. End of the year surprises can challenge parent-child relationships, and strategies that worked in the past might not be working now. If you are finding as a parent that you could use some coaching to improve the dialog with your child, contact us to find out more about how we can help you.
From the Essig Education Group family to yours, best wishes for a joyous holiday season and a happy new year!