Beyond Orientation Final Reflection

Beyond Orientation Final Reflection

     I learned this semester that being a university student today is definitely not the same as it was when I went to college. Students have more freedom to come and go unlike my experience of curfews and strict rules about visitors of the opposite sex. This is a little worrisome for a first time parent of a student. There are more choices in dining unlike when I was in school having one cafeteria. The students have to learn use the meal plan wisely especially if that money is not transferable to the next semester.  There seems to more pressure academically for students to do well in order to keep their financial assistance and stay competitive.  This can be overwhelming for them.  

      I was surprised by how many resources there are on campus. This was something that schools years ago did not have.

       I liked the convenience of this class. Being able to take this course from my home or at a hotel made it very doable. I did not have any technical problems.

      The hardest part for me was following up on some of the other parents post. Given everyone’s busy schedule it was hard to stay connected. Therefore, I am glad that a Facebook group was set up for informal dialogue.

       I enjoyed all the classes. I especially liked the student advising lecture, Dr. Tolan. I wish I met her sooner and had known some of this information before. For example, knowing my student had the option to be an undeclared major or the drop- add process better. Also, the police chief was wonderful and did a fantastic job of explaining how his department worked on campus. Getting alerts at 2:00 a.m. were alarming but at the same time kept me informed.

     The one lecture that I didn’t get as much out of was the value of networking. While “LinkedIn” is a great tool, I felt this is more applicable for students in higher grades.

     If I had to choose another topic to be added to the course, my suggestion would be addressing first semester housing issues. Maybe this could be combined with the Student Wellbeing lecture or another topic. While I know there were lectures on homesickness, time management and freak out factors, sometimes unusual situations arise.  My student had one of those this semester. I was able to reach out to the nurse at our family weekend and she agreed it was a difficult predicament. Figuring out a first line of contact and understanding campus housing protocols would have been something beneficial.  There is a fear of being sent to the worst or furthest dorm on campus if a complaint is made.