New students can Start Right with strategies for university life
Whether it’s for the first or the umpteenth time, starting at a new school can be downright intimidating.
The New Student Program aims to empower the hundreds of new Concordians who will arrive on campus next month.
“A lot of new students are under the misguided impression that university will be like their experience in high school or CEGEP,” said Program Coordinator Marlene Gross.
In addition to presenting a greater challenge academically, Gross said university-level studies demand that students be more independent and polish their time-management skills.
During the program’s Start Right Orientation on Dec. 14 and 15, new students can learn about everything from note-taking and study strategies to how to plot a career path.
All first-year students can get a Student Success Checkup by writing a diagnostic test that takes only 30 minutes. Gross said more than 1,000 students did so last fall.
“It’s not an aptitude test. It evaluates things like their experience, confidence, attitudes and motivations, and will help them to identify areas where they could use some assistance.”
At a subsequent Getting to Know U Orientation session, students meet with a counsellor who helps them interpret the results and suggests a course of action. A Student Success (peer) Mentor answers questions about Concordia and connects them with relevant services.
Stefana Nita, a student in political science and the Loyola International College, became a mentor to be able to help others as she was helped last year.
“One thing I learned about at Start Right was how to avoid plagiarism. I also received assistance with my writing, which proved to be very useful.”
Gross said students often underestimate the influence that other factors, such as financial, family or health issues, can have on academic success.
“It’s not just all about learning. There are so many other things that can affect your studies. It’s naive to think all you have to do is be a good student. Even good students can fail if something gets in the way.”
Many of the workshops offered in January as part of the First Year Experience Seminar Series, such as Budgeting 101 and Getting Involved in University Life, are aimed at helping students maintain a healthy balance at the bank and beyond.
While some are specifically for first-year students, other workshops offered by Counselling and Development are suitable for all students. Its orientation programs are as popular with mature students as they are with CEGEP grads, Gross said.
For students who come from afar and may not know anyone in Montreal, Gross said the programs present an opportunity to meet new acquaintances or study partners.
“They often meet students who study in the same faculty, and at the end, you see them exchanging email addresses and phone numbers to keep in touch.”
The New Student Program offers services at AD 103 at Loyola or in H-481 at the Sir George Williams Campus. For more information, call 848-2424, ext. 4330, or visit http://newstudent.concordia.ca.