My Experience As First Time College Students

For many months and even years, all I have really envisioned myself do is to graduate high school as quickly as possible and to get enrolled into my dream post-secondary institution to study courses that relate to my chosen career path; law. After successfully completing my number one short term goal, I started to physically, financially and mentally brace myself up for my college journey. I was extremely sure that I was a 100% prepared to conquer my academic life in college since my course had been my agelong dream. However, getting into college i received a total cultural shock which I struggled with from sometime. Things are the direct opposite of the mental projections my brain had made because of the cultural diversification between high school work and college work. Brym, R. (n.d.). Socialization. In New Society (8th ed., p. 65). Nelson Education.

My first week was an absolute mess as I struggled to clearly understand all that was being lectured in about 90% of my classes. This confusion affected me terribly so much that I thought I attended the wrong classes and during breaks, I will ask other classmates to clarify that I was in the right classes and by far, I had not gotten any of my classes mixed up. I understand that this situation is very difficult for me but from the few people I have come into contact with who are also first timers in college, this issue of finding it difficult to settle into the new system is not merely a personal experience, but rather a more public one. I have realized other first-timers are also finding it difficult to settle in because of many varied reasons. I noticed this through “systematically studying the behaviors” of many other first time post-secondary students Brym, R. (n.d.). Socialization. In New Society (8th ed., p. 4). Nelson Education.

The first of these reasons being that we have not been trained to take notes of salient points. Most people try to write almost everything on a slide when there is no time. Also, most of us are not familiar with having to do personal studies meanwhile post-secondary education is majorly about having the time to learn on your own to complete aspects that are not captured in the lecture slides. People are also not very used to the class settings of college as opposed to the class settings back in high school. Most of the classroom settings promote individualism. Though from the sociological perspective, Brym, R. (n.d.). Socialization. In New Society (8th ed., p. 5). Nelson Education.

There is more collaborative work in college, the classroom space here signals that the classroom is not the place for such joint discussions. Such discussions are recommended, but just not in the classroom environment. This is hard on a lot of people because it is in the class that more people are available and ready to share ideas which can help everyone to get a better understanding about topics or ideas that are not as clear. The other issue bothering students like myself include the instability in the lives of many first time students as a result of the stress levels we face which come in various fashions like commuting and others. This highlights the Durkheim’s functionalism theory Brym, R. (n.d.). Socialization. In New Society (8th ed., p. 13). Nelson Education.

The object that corresponds the most to the problem highlighted in the above paragraphs is a monument-like artefact that is hung up on the wall on the left hand side of the L building of the school. The object is placed in front of the first set of apple desktops that are accessible in the L Building through the main entrance. The object is made of many different colors and these multicoloured pieces are arranged in the shape of a bird. I could relate this object for several reasons that will be discussed in the following paragraphs. I chose this object because a bird is an animal that barely resides at one location. This can be likened to students like myself who have moved from kindergarten to elementary through high school; our former comfort zone (high school) and now in college; a new locality.

Similar to birds, who explore their new environments, first time college students too are now trying to explore the new college setting to gain grounds although it is not easy. Since for some of us, it is not only a first time experience in the institution but also, the country as well making matters more complicated because the styles of learning differ. Also, newcomers like myself we are taking our time to get socialized to the setting. “Socialization is the process which people learn to function in their culture” Brym, R. (n.d.). Socialization. In New Society (8th ed., p. 81). Nelson Education.

Another component of the object that caught my interest was the several different colors used to create that single artefact. The different components reflect the different people from all walks of life who are hosted under one roof to acquire one and the same thing which is; education. More relevant to my argument, the different colors of this artefact reflect the different levels of the academic ladder of people in the same classes. While others are finding the courses to be very simple, other greenhorns are battling with their books in order not to be left on the extreme end of the academic ladder.

The next thing about this object I will like to analyze is the space in which it is has been placed. The wall on which the object has been placed is a rather broad but bare one. The broad bare wall represents the campus space which is huge to accommodate these many diverse backgrounds of the people. Another thing that can be noticed about the object is its parts. There are three major divisions of the bird-like artefact namely; the head, the two hands and the tail-like parts which may also be its leg. This goes to describe the various people in every class. The head; those who are tops, the two hand; the people who are trying to work their way to the top with resilience and lastly, the tail-like part for others especially first time college students who are struggling to make it to the top.

Although it is very possible to reach the top for those at the tail part of the object it may just be a little tougher but it is attainable with hard work and determination, not forgetting perseverance as well. After facing such problems as a result of the culture diversity, I will suggest that the last year of high school should be dedicated to set the minds of students towards post-secondary learning. High school is the last agent of socialization that students come into contact with before post-secondary education. An agent of socialization is “an institution that prepares and guides successive cohorts through each stage of life” Brym, R. (n.d.). Socialization. In New Society (8th ed., p. 91). Nelson Education.

Teachers should therefore educate students on how to take notes by themselves in class. I believe being exposed early to the lecturing style of professors will set the minds of students in the right direction. This will help avoid the struggle, helplessness and shock high school leavers experience in their first year of postsecondary education. Lastly, if possible before first-timers actually get into the post-secondary field, the government or educational institutions can organize mock lectures so they can have a feel of college or university life before they get into the real stream of the system.