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Months of anticipation, excitement,
fear, worry and conjecture have finally ended. You arrive on campus confused,
loaded down with all of your worldly possessions, half conscious of the nervous
patter of your parents, insecure to the very core. Don't panic! These are the
feelings you're supposed to have as a freshman. This is where we take over.
Southampton has been in the business of greeting new students for over thirty years. For the past fifteen, we've pretty much perfected our method. We want you to feel at home right away. We want to introduce you to all that we offer, all that we are. Our emissaries in this mission are the Freshman Resident Assistants (FRA's). These specially trained upperclassmen who live with you in the Residence Halls will usher you through your first nerve-wracking hours, introduce you to your fellow new students, help you settle into your residence hall, show you around, get you to dinner and to the evening's activities, and, 99% guaranteed, you'll wake up feeling like you just may have found yourself a second home.
And you have. The community that is Southampton will be one of the most important communities you'll ever be a part of. The program for new students serves as a roadmap, the faculty and staff as your guides through the maze of choices college will present to you. We begin with the formal orientation-- several days of socializing, discovering, laughing, sharing, learning. The difference here is that orientation doesn't end after these few days. It is an ongoing process that lasts all year. The FRA's don't disappear. They live with you, they bring you together in small groups, they plan social and community service activities, they answer your questions, offer advice, solace and friendship.
And although the FRA's are
a crucial part of what happens here for new students, they are not the only essential
component. To expand your circle of acquaintances and to better introduce you
to our resources, we've developed a course called College 101, our Introduction
to College course, in which you will be automatically enrolled. This one-credit,
eleven week seminar is taught by faculty and staff from all areas of the campus.
Students, chosen from our undergraduate and graduate program, frequently assist
in the planning and teaching of the course. Class sessions will cover the essential
skills for success in college, including areas as diverse as time management and
substance abuse, how to use the Library and multiculturalism.
Finally, to truly round
out your first year experience, and to really feel at home here, the best advice
you can take from us is to get involved! Find a club or an activity which interests
you and you will find kindred souls. We offer everything from diving with the
Submersibles club to writing for the Proteus, our literary magazine, and if
you can't find what you're interested in, you are urged to start your own club
or organization. We're small enough to make this manageable for even a first
year student.
We are a place of people, a community that works, lives, and learns together. We encourage you to take a chance -- talk to someone new, ask a question, enter a room. We help you through these milestones and watch as you grow and change and become a vital part of our community. We look forward to getting to know you.
"The freshman program is an excellent way to help students get acclimated to a new school. I don't know what I would have done without it. It was a doorway to meeting the friends I have now. It made me feel comfortable with the school and its surroundings. It has made my transition to college much easier than first expected."
"Through my FRA and my College 101 instructor, I was introduced to all of the activities, both educational and social, that Southampton Graduate Campus has to offer. My FRA introduced me to advisors in my major. My College 101 course helped me to meet interesting peers and programs like Co-op and SEAmester. All this effected my transition to college by making me aware of everything that was going on and made me feel welcomed."
"Southampton Graduate Campus has the most unique freshman orientation I have ever heard of. It was this freshman program that helped make for a smooth transition from high school to college dorm life. College 101 aided in my making new acquaintances. I also received guidance and friendship from my advisor. My FRA was a friend I could always count on; her door was always open. The housing situation was helpful because I was able to go through a system of trial and error, problem-solving with other freshmen who were just as afraid and confused and homesick as I was."
"College 101 is a very well-developed support group. It helped me in getting to know myself and made it easy for me to meet and interact with my peers. The FRA's were the ones who made the transition into college the easiest. They were my main source of support and I believe the FRA's are important in the development of the freshmen."
"The freshman program made the transition into college easier. Having an FRA around made it easy to find answers to questions about various school programs and locations of classes, administrative offices, etc. The College 101 class was very informative, making it easy to get answers to questions on topics like the academic programs and financial aid, and it also gave us an opportunity to find a good advisor."
