What to Expect in the First Year

Seasonal Trends

There will be many ups and downs your child will experience during her or his first year of college. These are very normal. There are many resources and services available to assist students in being successful at Dominican.  Please encourage your child to talk to an academic advisor and visit the Wellness Center and Academic Resource Center. The Rosary College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of the Dean of Students are available to assist students in getting connected to the right resources.

Your student will likely go through a whole range of emotions as he or she adjusts to the changes that college life brings. Here is a month-by-month description of what your student may experience.

August/September

• Excitement
• Testing new-found freedom
• Making new friends
• Anxiety about roommates, professors, classes
• First exams
• Getting used to a new schedule
• Resident students experience homesickness and loneliness
• Commuter students experience frustrations from commuting to campus

October

• Students question: “Do I fit in here?”
• First test grades return
• Midterm exams
• Consequences of decision-making experienced
• Getting used to a new schedule
• Friendships from high school become strained
• Students get involved and need to learn to manage time

November

• Midterm grades returned
• Many exams and papers due before Thanksgiving
• Excitement and/or anxiety regarding going home for Thanksgiving
• First series of campus-wide illness (cold, flu, etc.)

December

• Anxiety over the preparation for finals
• Excitement about the holiday break

January

• “Fresh Start” with the new semester
• Satisfaction and/or disappointment with fall semester grades

February

• “Winter Blues” set in

March

• Room selection process for resident students
• Midterm exam stress
• Concern over summer employment

April/May

• Excitement with the arrival of spring
• End-of-semester pressure
• Realization of how college influences life decisions