On Tuesday, September 20, at 7:30pm, the Caribbean Student Association hosted a ‘Transitioning into College’ night to provide helpful advice to both freshman and transfer students. Freshman through seniors gathered in the Moulton Lounge on the third floor of Bartels to discuss college and the multitude of hurdles new students face.
Many freshman worry about their first year away from home, so it was nice to have a night of camaraderie and upperclassmen reaching out a helping hand.
“Coming to college, I was most worried about making new friends and leaving my old ones,” says freshman Michael Capasso.
Freshman Kyle Markey agreed saying, “Even though I came from West Haven and I knew a few people I didn’t know anyone else so I was most worried about making friends as well.”
Many new students have similar fears; this night helped them know they were not alone. The night shortly broke into a very open discussion between everyone in the room. The discussion did not end until everyone was smiling and all questions had been answered.
“It was really laid back and a lot of upperclassmen came out to provide advice to the freshman,” says sophomore Rebecca Santos.
Advice covered most topics, from time management skills to professional communication skills, and all freshman left with their questions answered. General phrases of advice were thrown around the room, a mix of serious and entertaining. Listening in one could hear everything from “get to know your advisor” to “make sure you keep a planner” to “avoid the sprinklers.” It was a nice, friendly atmosphere as new students were welcomed into our community with a helping hand.
“I was pretty worried about keeping up with the larger work load compared to high school,” says freshman Lucas Kramer.
Freshman Caitlin Carney had a more unique worry. She said, “I was most nervous about sharing a room with two other people because I’m an only child.”
After a night of laughing and bonding though, all of these diverse fears were settled and most students learned that, with the right support, college is not so scary.
“I guess the only thing I was worried about coming to college was probably finding the type of people I wanted to be around,” says freshman Luke Heller. “That really wasn’t too hard when I got here.”
The Caribbean Student Association hosted a fantastic night. The whole thing was a success, and everyone in attendance left feeling great about both the advice they gave and the advice they received.
