In the movies, college is the best time of your life. You don’t live with your parents, there are parties every weekend, and coffee shops are within walking distance.
This is a college experience everyone expects, but it’s usually not the reality.
The movies don’t show students picking their own classes with no idea what to take or when to take them. They also don’t show the hours students spend reading textbooks or answering discussion posts.
Many young adults are also first-generation college students who have no one to turn to to help them navigate their first steps into adulthood.
If you’re struggling to adjust to your new life as a college student, there are many resources at Rock Valley College to help you during your time here.
Before you even set foot on campus, you can find helpful information on RVC’s website. It has links for new, current, and incoming students to help with any challenges they may face when starting college.
“There’s a lot of resources within the RVC website to help students navigate their first semester,” said Joana Araojo, a current student at RVC.
The Student Services tab provides information on academic services, disability support, and counseling services, along with tips on how to be successful in college.
When you’re at RVC, flyers are posted in the hallways of each building, and the Student Center is located in the middle of campus, giving students easy access to support services.
The First Year Experience at Rock Valley is also a useful resource to help get used to your new life as a college student. Located on the first floor of the Student Center, the goal of this program is to help students navigate their first semester to provide a successful and less stressful start to college at Rock Valley.
Even with all the guidance Rock Valley provides, sometimes the best advice you get in college comes from the students themselves. The First Year Experience also has a peer mentor program designed to help any students seeking advice; You get to talk to current students at Rock Valley and ask them questions.
Connecting with classmates who have spent a few semesters on campus is another way to get help. Joana, who is in their third semester at RVC, shared some of their tips to help new students.
“Arrive on campus early your first week to figure out where all your classes are, and make sure to check the announcements on Canvas so you know what to expect the first week of classes,” Araojo said.
College should be a new and exciting chapter in your life, but it can be stressful and confusing at first. Rock Valley provides students with virtual and in-person guidance to make their first step into adulthood a little easier.
If you are in need of support, check out Rock Valley’s website and reach out to classmates and professors.
First-Year Experience:
https://www.rockvalleycollege.edu/StudentServices/index.cfm
https://www.rockvalleycollege.edu/StudentServices/StudentSuccessResources.cfm
