Written by Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs, Jerry Price
College is not easy, and it’s not supposed to be. All things that produce growth are challenging. However, while not easy, college is also not all that complex. So, although it may seem there is a million new things swirling around you, to have a successful first year at Chapman I encourage you just to focus on these three fundamental goals:
1) Clarify your desired academic/career path. This does not mean you need to have your major solidified right away; in fact, about 25% of Chapman freshmen either don’t have a major or say they are likely to change it. The key is to be actively exploring your academic and career objectives. Does your major still feel right after the first one or two semesters? If so, great; if not, you need to be proactive in exploring alternative academic paths.
2) Make satisfactory academic progress. Like all other Chapman freshmen, you probably are accustomed to high academic success and are expecting the same of yourself here. However, the academic demands of Chapman classes likely will be very different from what you experienced in high school. Keep in mind that Chapman’s standard for satisfactory progress is completing at least 24 credits over your first year with a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
3) Develop interpersonal connections with your peers. At Chapman, social connections cannot really be separated from academic ones. I say this because many of the peer relationships you develop will be with people with similar academic and career interests; it essentially is the beginning of your networking process. Just as important, studies show that students who develop strong interpersonal connections with their peers perform better academically and are more likely to persist to graduation.
Now that you know these three fundamentals, I’d like to share some ideas on how you can achieve success in all three:
Set goals for each of the fundamentals. How can you measure your success if you haven’t defined what success looks like?
Get organized around the fundamentals. What steps are you going to take to achieve your goals in each one? Be specific. Instead of saying, “I will review other possible majors,” identify two or three or four specific majors you are going to research. Similarly, instead of saying that you will try a new club, commit yourself to researching and identifying specific ones that interest you.
Commit yourself to discipline. Most achievements come from simple hard work and devoting the necessary time to complete a required task. For example, in your classes it is particularly important to attend class and keep current with your reading and assignments. In high school you may have been able to catch up quickly, but, at Chapman, once you fall behind the situation can snowball and it becomes harder and harder to catch up.
Invest your time and energy wisely. None of us has infinite time and energy, so we need to invest them on the things that really matter. Don’t get worked up over every little thing – doing so just distracts you from more important priorities.
Exploit your resources. Perhaps Chapman’s greatest strength is our tight, family-like community. People genuinely want to help you be successful. So, if you have a question or problem, don’t wait for help – take the initiative to go get the help you need. Also, remember that your fellow students – including other freshmen – can be some of your best resources. If you’re not sure exactly where to go for help with a particular problem, you are always welcomed to stop by my office in Argyros Forum 101 – my staff and I will be more than happy to point you in the right direction. And don’t wait too long before asking for help; the longer a problem festers, the worse it can get and the longer it can take to resolve.
Be patient and stay positive. Success in each of these fundamentals happens on a different timeline for each student. Some students feel good right away about their major but are having trouble making close friends; other students make friends right away, but struggle early in their adjustment to Chapman academics. It is important to realize that this is very normal, so just stay confident and keep plugging away – things will work out.
If you set goals for yourself in these three fundamentals and then commit yourself to achieving those goals, I am confident you will have a first year that is not only successful but very rewarding and enjoyable.