“I'm a firm believer in getting students out of the classroom and into experiences in nature. If students get out of their element, in a new place that stimulates their senses, that's where the best learning happens.”
Natural Sciences Assistant Professor Nick Baer
Summer
There is always that time in life when you realize things are going to change. Change is inevitable and all around us, even if we don't identify it right away. One of the scariest parts about being in college is everyone changes a little bit, a little more, everyday.
When you get to college, you keep telling yourself that you won't ever find people like the ones you used to know. You believe you won't have as much fun as you used to have and you most definitely won't replace your old friends. It takes time, but you eventually prove this hypothesis to be inaccurate.
Graduation is where my college experience first began. Sitting on the football field of my high school, dressed in my cap and gown, I looked around at the 300 classmates I had spent the past six years growing with. As I approached the podium, and took that diploma in my hand, I knew, that instant, that my life was forever changed. The summer before I left for Colby-Sawyer was spent cramming in memories with friends on top of spending time with the family. My mother and I went college shopping for linens, clothes and school supplies and as September began to approach, I became more and more anxious.
The days prior to my arrival on campus were spent packing up my room and deciding what I wanted to bring with me on my college experience. Emotions ran wild, and many times I felt that I had to sit back and look at my near empty room. With boxes piled high, music blasting, and memories scattered all around me, I began to accept my future.
Summer Tips
Take each day a step at a time. Remember, friends are important to your student too. Don't jam pack every day with activities that exclude your student's friends- let him or her spend time with whom he or she wants.
Don't help your student pack unless he or she asks. He or she has, in the back of his or her mind, an idea of what he or she wants to bring. It's important that he or she bring items that will make him or her comfortable, and it's also important that he or she isn't pressured into taking items that he or she doesn't want to bring.
Don't wait until the last minute to start shopping. It's never too early.
Encourage your student to attend the New Student Trip. You won't regret this!. This week-long outdoors trip will help he or she make friends before school starts and feel more confident entering school knowing people.
Make sure your student goes to bed early the night before he or she leaves for school. You want him or her to be rested for his or her first weekend at college. It's very hectic.
Encourage your student to bring pictures with him or her to put up around the room. When I get homesick, I look at pictures and the feeling goes away. This is important.
