Developmental Issues Concerning First Year Students.

This past week we discussed some common developmental issues that we may encounter while mentoring the incoming freshmen next year. I think that this general list we discussed is fairly accurate because I know that I myself had even went through some of these problems as a freshmen coming to college. Some of the concerns that I personally would feel as though I could answer decently well would be switching majors, not wanting to attend classes, and social life issues because these are some of the most prevalent topics I had gone through my freshmen year.

I came into Iowa State thinking I knew exactly what I wanted to do and when I got here I had been completely shocked when I had started classes and realized it was not what I wanted to do at all. I went through many career aptitude tests, personality tests, and countless meetings with advisors and mentors trying to figure out what I wanted to do and what I would be good at doing. This entire journey I went through lead me to where I am today and I think that without having to go through all of that I would not be as knowledgeable and useful in this area as I am. Many freshmen also go through the same concerns and I believe that I could be very helpful in this area. I am very confident that I can guide our mentees through these experiences to get them on the right path.

Even though I did eventually find out what I wanted to be doing, along the way I had to take a new orientation class with every time I had switched a major. These orientation classes get old the first time you take them let alone taking 3 or 4 different ones. Also, with them only being 1 credit and most times are just pass/fail I had a really hard time attending those classes. Eventually I worked through that and decided that I needed to attend because that was the only way I could pass those classes. Even though these classes were only one credit they still affected my GPA and I didn’t want to have on my record that I had failed a simple class leading to the belief that I didn’t even have the motivation to finish a simple class. This background history of attendance and I gives me a good stance in having to help other people with the same issues.

Also,  I think that I have a decent amount of experience with social issues that many incoming freshmen encounter. I came to Iowa State with a boyfriend of 3 years and all I wanted to do was spend time with him. After we broke up I broadened my horizons and went out and tried to meet as many new people as I could. While doing this I realized the importance of getting out and meeting people that you will actually form a life long bond with because you have so much in common. I think that I will be able to help anyone having problems with similar situations because I went through a lot of changes in my first year.

Thinking back on my first year here at Iowa State I know I did make a lot of mistakes but you can never learn from your mistakes if you don’t make them in the first place. I would like to use my new knowledge to help my mentees through the transition into college to give them the best possible experience!