November 2, 2017
Transitions
Every high school senior yearns for the moment of finally
moving out of the house and living on their own. And for most incoming
freshman, they have no clue of what they’re in for.
The transitional phase from high school to college is one of
the most challenging things you will ever do, and moving into your dorm is just
the first step; and when there’s an ample of bad habits, strangers, parking
woes, and large workloads swinging your way—life becomes hectic.
According to Alton Kirksey, sophomore and kinesiology
student of MSU, said NO NEED FOR SAID
HERE; YOU ALREADY SAID, ACCORDING TO his first-year of college was like a
love/hate relationship with plenty of ups and downs.
“The transition was easy for me because I never took my
education for granted; however, I do understand if you aren’t prepared it can
become overwhelming with a lot of ups and downs—almost like a love/hate
relationship,” said Kirksey.
A visiting freshman and sociology student from Western
Michigan University, Brianna Murrie, had a lot to say about how her experiences
were going and the wakeup call that was much needed.
“The beginning months of my first-year of college was a new
chapter of my life, where I still wanted to be treated like a kid, but at the
same time like an adult. When I went home, my parents were shocked at who I
became, college has helped me mature,” said Murrie.
Transitioning your life into college is an experience on its
own, and according to Kirksey it was being alone which was different and even
harder than the transition he faced into high school.
“The workload is less, the true difference is in the
independence,” said Kirksey.
Murrie had said similar remarks in the key differences
between her transition into high school and her transition into college.
“With high school if you didn’t have anybody, you would
still have someone—friends, family, none too far away. In college, you’re
alone,” said Murrie.
A 2015 study done by the JED Foundation of emotional health,
found that 87 percent of students said their high schools provided preparation
on college academics, but not how to adjust emotionally to college; another
half said they needed to improve their “independent living” skills.
When asked about what advice she would give to incoming
freshmen, Director of Academic and Student Affairs Kari Schueller Lopez of the
College of Communications Arts and Sciences, was very detailed on what NOT to
do.
“Students are in a big transition socially and it’s common
to put a lot of energy into making friends and finding a social niche. It’s
also incredibly important to not forget about the academic transition as well,”
said Schueller Lopez via email.
According to a study done by Boston University, the most
important thing to have on your resume is extra-curricular activities—internships.
Schueller Lopez said similar things in accordance to the
statistic.
“Get involved! While this may seem like a contradiction to
my first point, it’s not meant to be. Everything should be in balance; social
life/school/family etc. College gets really difficult if students oversubscribe
to social life over school, even vice versa,” said Schueller Lopez via email.
Liz Jorgensen, academic and career advisor in the ComArtsSci
sector of MSU, gave advice on what first-year students can do with their time.
“Regardless if you’re undecided, or have already declared
your major, visit the career center during your first-year to talk about career
exploration, and internships, most successful ComArtsSci students have multiple
internships by the time they reach graduation,” said Jorgensen via email.
Director of Employer Relations and Professional Transitions WHERE? MSU? Karin Hanson, gave thoughts
on what the transitioning process entitles from a career perspective.
“From a career perspective, they need to be understanding of
what their options are; the first thing would be figuring out what they like
and what they don’t like,” said Hanson.
Hanson continued with a list of other things to do.
“Even if they’ve chosen a major, for example journalism,
there are many different facets of journalism; so, by joining different student
groups with journalism whether they’re thinking of the broadcast route or
something sports related, make sure you’re jumping in and getting involved with
as many things as possible,” said Hanson.
Transitioning into college is the first step among many that
you’ll take, and mistakes are bound to happen along the way; according to
Kirksey, it’s imperative that you simply learn from them and enjoy the ride.
“Walk your own path…enjoy the intersections but know that
everyone is here for a reason,” said Kirksey.
Murrie said she learned a valuable lesson in her first-year
transition of about realizing your surroundings.
“Watch out for vibes, if you feel a feeling that’s not right
or a bad energy… you don’t want to be blindsided especially when you know who
you’re, said Murrie.
Word Count: 799
Story Sources:
Alton Kirksey. Sophomore. 313-629-2556
Brianna Murrie. Freshman. 313-766-3244.
Karin Hanson. Director of Employer Relations and
Professional Transitions. Hanson9@msu.edu
Liz Jorgensen. Academic and Career Advisor. Jorgen53@msu.edu
Kari Schueller Lopez. Director of Academic and Student
Affairs. Schuell8@msu.edu
Studies:
https://www.coursehero.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/11.10.27_CourseHero_ExtraPush.png
ASSIGNMENT
GRADE: (redacted)
INSTRUCTOR’S
COMMENTS: VERY NICE WORK HERE! THE MISSES WERE NOT HUGE BUT WORTH NOTING: I
WOULD HAVE PERFERRED YOU SUED NEUTRAL EXPERTS FROM OTHER THAN COMM ARTS; USE
ONES YOU DON’T ALREADY KNOW FOR THIS CLASS. PLUS, INSTEAD OF CITING INSIDE
HIGHER ED (WHICH IS A NEWSPAPER COVERING THE HIGHER ED WORLD), WE SHOULDHAVE
USED THE ARTICLE TO FIND THE STUDY OURSELVES AND LOOK AT IT DIRECTLY OURSELVES.
STILL, YOU’RE DOING A SOLID JOB WITH THESE OUT-OF-CLASS STORIES; KEEP IT UP!
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