Character Development In College Students The Freshman Year

Learn how to tackle freshman year obstacles with ease with The First-Year College Experience Handbook. One of the most important aspects of a successful college career includes getting involved with extracurricular activities. But, as studies have shown time and time again, it is the quality of the activity that matters most. This means choosing an extracurricular activity that sparks passion and genuine involvement, which often results in students achieving better grades, becoming more connected to their peers and teachers, and feeling more satisfied with their education in general.

After fifteen years of teaching anthropology at a large university, Rebekah Nathan had become baffled by her own students. Their strange behavior—eating meals at their desks, not completing reading assignments, remaining silent through class discussions—made her feel as if she were dealing with a completely foreign culture. So Nathan decided to do what anthropologists do when confused by a different culture: Go live with them. She enrolled as a freshman, moved into the dorm, ate in the dining hall, and took a full load of courses. And she came to understand that being a student is a pretty difficult job, too. Her discoveries about contemporary undergraduate culture are surprising and her observations are invaluable, making My Freshman Year essential reading for students, parents, faculty, and anyone interested in educational policy.