Adjusting To Life At College

BY VICTORIA, PANTHER BLOGGER

Graduating from high school and deciding to attend college is a huge change in a young person’s life. Making new friends is an essential part of the college student lifestyle. The Criminal Justice Program here at Ferrum College helped me to make many new friends that have the same major or minor as I do.

When you are a freshman at Ferrum, you are required to take a class called Gateway Seminar. This is basically your “welcome to college class.” You meet your classmates from your Gateway class on the first weekend that you arrive at Ferrum. These students are typically those who have the same area of study as you do. For example, my Gateway class was filled with mostly Criminal Justice majors, and I also had a Criminal Justice professor for my teacher. This teacher was, and still is, my advisor to whom I go to when I need help deciding which classes to take or making other decisions that college students are frequently faced with. The friends that I made in Gateway have remained my friends throughout my college career so far. I have had many other classes with them due to the fact that we all need most of the same classes to get our degrees. Meeting these other students on your first weekend here helps you adjust more easily to your other classes when they begin because you will already know some of the other students who are in them.

Clubs also give you an outlet in which to help you make friends and adjust to college.

During the last weekend in March, some friends and I from Ferrum’s Criminal Justice Club had a great time working at the NASCAR race at the Martinsville Speedway, located about 33 miles south of Ferrum College.

The Criminal Justice Club helped me meet many upperclassmen from my major who gave me advice about certain classes and teachers. It is very useful to get advice from those who have already been in the position you are in and have learned from their mistakes. They can help you to not make the same bad decision that they made.

Being part of the Criminal Justice Club also helped me to become closer with the other members because we spend a lot of time together working on projects or other activities, along with attending conventions. Conventions also allow you to make new friends from all over the country while also gaining valuable knowledge in your field of study. Pictured on the right are my friends Ben and Ashley, and I in Graceland at a criminal justice convention.
Becoming involved in clubs and activities that are related to your major are great opportunities that Ferrum College offers its students. My advice to all the incoming new students is to become involved in as many clubs and organizations as possible during your years here at Ferrum. You will meet a lot of new friends and open doors to many opportunities.