UC's newest freshmen are starting on the path to achieving their dreams. The University of Cincinnati's summer orientation for new students is in full swing after the first of 3,200 students and their parents got their first introduction to the UC community on July 1.
For the students, orientation provides opportunities to make new friends, to discover more about their academic programs, and to learn how to take care of student business online through UC's One Stop website. Programs such as "A Year in the Life" offer a dramatic presentation of what they may encounter in college to prepare them for the year ahead. Campus tours get them ready for their walks between buildings this fall, and by the time they leave orientation, they'll even have their student ID and parking pass.
But the transformation from high school to college, from teenager to adult, does not just affect the student. Parents are adjusting to the idea of letting go, but still guiding their children along the pathway to success. For them, orientation includes programs on how they can prepare for this journey.
One of those programs is "Roots and Wings," a personal perspective from Stanley E. Henderson, UC Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services. After winning chuckles for "surviving living with three teenagers," Henderson suggested parents consider where their child fits in the typical three categories of freshmen:
The Terror-in-their-Eyes -- "They're the shy student. How can the parent ensure the shy student will reach out? Enhance your listening skills. Listen for the names of people you haven't heard before. It's a sign your child is reaching out to others and making connections, and that's when you can relax."
Henderson says with all three categories, there's a sense of uneasiness, as students prepare to separate from connections that gave them their sense of identity -- their parents, their siblings, their high school teachers, their communities, even their beloved pets. Henderson added it's important for parents to watch for their children building new connections, through both their academics and student life on campus.
"The national research shows that if students don't start forming connections in the first four to six weeks of fall quarter, their chance of graduating from college is greatly diminished. Orientation is the first step in making those connections."
In addition to UC's numerous academic, service and social organizations, Henderson says students have the opportunity to explore UC's rich diversity. "Our racial and ethnic diversity, our diversity in architecture, the majors, the new ways of approaching old ideas, our diversity is what we think of as one of the real treasures here at the University of Cincinnati.
"Students from 90 countries are represented at UC. It would be one of the true tragedies of your child's lives if they graduated and never met someone different from them. Our diversity is a huge enhancement to their education, and I can tell you why it's the crown jewel of their education. Think about the U.S. workforce today. Our students will be going into a diverse working environment.
"Furthermore, America's work philosophy has changed to a team approach. We are teaching our students how to be collaborative learners."
Henderson added that the programs such as "A Year in the Life," presented separately for students and parents, is an opening for conversations about serious issues, such as high school romances, peer pressure and sexual assault.
"It's so important to remind them that in 80 percent of the assaults on the nation's campuses, the victims knew their attackers, and in 80 percent of those cases, drugs or alcohol was involved. It's not a conversation just for daughters, but for sons and daughters."
UC programs such as Friday Night Live provide alcohol-free entertainment on campus and offer an alternative to the bar scene. Many student organizations have organized the events, including alcohol-free dances and even Halloween parties with prizes for costumes.
Henderson suggested parents buy their student a present, a gray metal box to keep track of their papers and deadlines. He added parents should buy the students an academic planner and student handbook, and pick up the same for themselves as they guide their child's progress through their first year.
"There are two lasting things we can leave our children," Henderson concluded. "One is roots and the other is wings. For the past 18 years, you have worked with this student to shape and mold them. As you did that, you knew that in building their roots, they would also grow wings.
"Now as they embark at UC, the roots are still there and strong, and so are the wings to take them soaring to their dreams."
