New-Student Orientation needs improvement
January 28, 2014
Some students branching out into college are nervous about beginning a higher education and are hopeful for everything to run smoothly.
New-Student Orientation is required for students entering Georgia Highlands College and is intended to get students more informed and ease them into their college experience.
For some students who have participated in New-Student Orientation through the years, the event only seemed to pile on more anxiety and confusion.
Several students enjoyed the Welcoming presentation and found it to be clear and informative. However, when students were separated into groups, things became rushed and disorganized.
Some students were not placed in the right group and had to be shuffled around until they were in the correct spot.
Professors and advisers had to quickly go through the course catalog because they were running behind schedule.
With the course information being rushed through, students were confused when it came time to choose their classes.
There was a lack of advisers to assist students with creating their schedules, and there was also a shortage of computers. This caused students to get backed up.
Having to re-select a course due to one being full also caused students to fall behind.
Once behind, it was difficult for students to catch back up.
With groups having to leave to make room for others, several students were left behind and had no idea where they needed to go next.
When it came time to print off schedules and bills, some students could not get their information because printers were out of paper and orientation leaders ran out of money to print.
Some of the students’ user-names and passwords did not work in the computer, and other students’ schedules and bills would not show up in the system.
Participants believe orientation would have been more successful if the event was less rushed and more organized.
More advisers, orientation leaders and computers would also make the registration process run smoother.
With some improvements, even more students will leave New-Student Orientation with their fears and concerns eased instead of leaving with more uncertainty and apprehension than they came with.
Brett Mather • Apr 30, 2014 at 7:28 pm
I started my freshman year at The University of Mississippi. I started calculus, but dropped the class due to an over load of work from my other pre-med courses. I assumed I would take calculus at Ga Highlands. However, at orientation I was mislead in choosing my math class. I was told I was required to take college algebra; a class the does not count towards my major. My suspicion was confirmed when I talked to a biology major adviser. Its at best an “easy A” or better yet a waste of my time. It does not prepare me for calculus, nor I am advancing towards the completion of my major. At the very least pre-calculus would have reiterated what I learned my junior year in high school. The class choosing process at highlands orientation is unorganized and hectic.