March 26, 2008
Finishing the First Year
By Karen Klumpp
Vice President for Enrollment
We’re in the last weeks of the winter term, and students are finishing their classes and signing up for fall term. Some will be taking a spring term course (April 27 to May 22), either traveling with students and faculty or enjoying a class on campus. As the weather begins to feel more like spring, the campus bursts into flowers and beautiful foliage.
In my 20 years as an academic advisor at Alma College, I’ve often observed that first-year students don’t realize the significant chunk of coursework they’ve completed. I assure them that completing 25 percent of the graduation requirements is substantial, and that the first year is as important as the last year of the degree. Even if students are not yet sure of their major, they are most likely still on a four-year track. Now is a good time to begin to focus in on a major interest, narrowing the list to a couple of potential majors and aligning the fall coursework to support the potential choices. Now is also a good time to consider some outstanding opportunities for the next 36 months:
- Athletics
- Internships
- Career Planning
- Performing Arts
- Study Abroad
- Graduate School
- Research
For students whose grades were not as high as hoped, it is good to know that grades typically increase in the sophomore year, and the trend upward usually continues into the senior year. It is also reassuring to know that first-year students who have earned 25 or more credits will almost always retain their full financial awards, even if their grades were lower than they wished. We know that students do try to earn good grades, and we want to give them the space to figure out what it takes to succeed well. If your son or daughter wants to repeat a course during the summer, advice on that can be acquired from the College Registrar, 989-463-7348, or email Sue Deel.
It is truly a pleasure working at an institution that has outstanding students and a community that cares about the learning and development of students. We know that your role in assisting and supporting your student is significant, and if there are ways we can partner with you to better help, we want to do so.
