Be Prepared Before You Go

Think back to when you first went away to college. Don’t generalize. Dig deep to your arrival on campus—car packed to the ceiling—everything you’d need for your first quarter freshman year.

 

You carried suitcase or boxes to your new dorm room. Then your parents waved goodbye and drove away. Were you anxious? Excited? Both?

 

Now, take a moment to recall the thing that surprised you most that first day or week. What were you NOT prepared for?

 

For the past 30-40 years, nearly half of all college students dropped out. Today, the FRESHMAN dropout rate is 26%. That’s staggering!

 

But there’s good news. Students who take some time (even a little bit of time!) to discover what’s coming and to get connected to a good academic and social scene will do remarkably better. It’s really that simple. The disconnect comes when freshmen get surprised by the academic course load or the unending party decisions. When they have a positive group to connect with, they can not only survive, but thrive.

 

Please take a moment to provide some advice to today’s college-bound students. Encourage them to get connected to a positive group as soon as they arrive on campus. Better yet… have them connect virtually before they depart from home! A few hours invested now can save tens of thousands of dollars and immeasurable headaches later.

 

Brian Raison may be reached at brian@collegefaith.org

 

 

Created Reality Television:  MTV’s New College Life Series

 

Well, I turned on MTV last week. Before you jump to conclusions, let me assure you that it was not because I desired to watch any programming on that channel. I tuned in specifically to watch “College Life,” a new reality program set in Madison, Wisconsin in which four first-year collegians are supplied with video cameras and instructed to film everything. Yes, everything. The previews claim no editing and no script. The producers also provide a disclaimer: “The University of Wisconsin is NOT affiliated with this program.”

 

Okay. A sane person may ask, “Why would anyone want to watch a show with no editing and no script and no endorsement?” Well, that’s a valid question. The short answer is that we ALL need to keep up with what’s happening in youth culture today. We need to differentiate between concerning signs of trouble or distress and simple old-fashioned fun. Please note, these definitions have changed a lot in the last 5 years. Please also note that regardless of their claim, the producers have VERY carefully hand-selected each of these four students. And every single second of video footage that gets aired has been chosen, edited, and woven into a story-line that the adult producers of the show wish to convey. Like all reality-TV, there’s not much “real” about it.

 

If there is any redeeming value, it might be found in the explicit, frank, and often sobering failures and disappointments that the “actors” encounter as they navigate this supposed college life.

 

In one scene, Kevin points the camera at himself and, in a moment of honesty, recounts what terrible trouble he’s in because he failed to prepare for a huge test and now he’s failing the class. If he drops the class, he won’t have enough credits to be a full time student. If he doesn’t drop the class, he’ll get an “F” that will be in his GPA for the rest of his college career. Please note, Kevin gives this touching soliloquy couched in a flurry of expletives… so much so that you must listen intently to understand his rant beneath the nearly continuous “bleeping” that the editors are obliged to insert. It’s quite effective.

 

You probably need tune in only once or twice to keep up with the story. If you do watch, there are a few key points to keep in mind. First, not all students drink this much, or have this many random sexual hook-ups, or are so close to failing out. But some are.

 

Second, not all high school students are even watching this junk. And for those who do, not all will believe that this is how college life really works. But some will. A lot of middle-school students will be watching it too. So don’t forget about them. They’ll be more likely to believe what they see is generalized to the majority.

 

Third, I’ve used indicators like “some” and “many” in the two paragraphs above. The fact is, 25% of the college-aged population in the U.S. is infected with a sexually transmitted disease (CDC, 2006). Over half of all college students binge drink at least once a week (. Where there’s heat there’s sure to be fire.

 

When doing research or watching youth culture (even on MTV), I always like to ask, “So what?” The bottom line is that we should go talk with the young people in our lives. Please don’t lecture; but ask some questions about how they’re doing. Ask what they’re hearing about college life from the older kids. Ask if they feel ready to make decisions about those things or if they think they’ll be ready when they go away to school. Let them know you’re open and available to talk, anytime. Start today.

 

Here’s the perfect opening line:  “I saw this new show on MTV last night, and wondered what you thought about it…”

 

Brian Raison is the founder of College101.me and CollegeFaith.org. He may be reached at brian@collegefaith.org

 

Articles and advice:
 

We are compiling articles on the college transition process. We're

 thankful to our contributors.

Conversations for the College Bound -- by Derek Melleby. (Center for Parent/Youth Understanding)

Advice for 1st Year College Success -- by Brian Raison. (Dayton Daily News, 6/15/06.)

College Bound? Don’t come home! -- by Brian Raison. (Dayton Daily News, 5/11/06.)

Need Help With Making Decisions? -- by Paul Keller. (Christ's Community Church and Ohio University)