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Reminiscing about the past

March 02, 2009

This weekend I worked with the senior students at Upward Bound who are all eagerly waiting to hear from the colleges that they applied to. Since the beginning of this school year they have designated a class period during Upward Bound for “college prep.” The first semester of the year they spent an hour each Saturday preparing for SAT and ACT, working on their application and personal statement, and learning everything about FAFSA. Now they are focusing on the transition to college by reading the “Off to College” magazine and discussing their thoughts about the topics and articles.

Talking with them on Saturday made me think back to my freshman year and the anxiety I had about moving across the country to come to school here at Rollins. I was so excited to leave the cold Wisconsin winters, but so nervous to be in a new place, with new people, and not knowing what to expect about college.

I can discretely remember receiving a thick envelope from Rollins with all of the information about school that you can ever hope for. The folder was jam packed with information about my classes and professors, the hours of the dining hall, how to check your campus mail box, the library hours, a map of campus, all of the different services on campus, my dorm room and roommate information, a detailed and fun-filled 5-day orientation schedule, and last but not least, letters from each of my peer mentors, Kenny and Allison. Looking back at my first semester I realize how great of a resource they were and how I would not have been able to adjust to college life and easily and smoothly as I did without their help and guidance.

Their letters contained information about what to expect from my RCC (Rollins College Conference) class, which is a class that fulfills a general education requirement and that every first year student is required to take to assist in the transition into Rollins. My peer mentors also had advice on what to pack and what not to pack, where to shop for dorm room supplies and decorations, and what to expect from Orientation week. After reading both of their letters a lot of my questions were answered and I felt much more prepared for the journey I was about to embark upon.

I remember meeting my peer mentors at check-in right when I arrived on campus. I immediately felt that I had a connection to campus through these two students. It was so great to have another student to turn to, to look up to, and to ask for advice, especially since they knew the ropes already. The students that are chosen as Peer Mentors truly are leaders and role models and receive the position because of these skills and attributes. In addition, Peer Mentors complete a full week of training focused on integrating and engaging first year students into the Rollins College academic community.

Many of my friends from high school went off to large state school universities and weren’t given the luxury of having peer mentors. They didn’t have upperclassmen that were assigned to one of their classes to help transition them into the college life at their particular university, and I can remember many conversations discussing how surprised they were that I was fortunate to have such a helpful resource.

As an upperclassman I want to turn around and be that same leader and role model for the underclassman at Rollins and the high school students that I work with at Upward Bound. I love being able to give them advice, share my opinion and experiences with them, and be someone for them to look up to and turn to. I feel that I am able to relate to many students because of my diverse involvement on campus and the different experiences I have, which seems to further inspire me to pursue leadership positions and fill the shoes of a role model for many.

Photo: Peer Mentors during their week of training over the Summer.

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