What to Expect in Your Student's 1st Year of College
Students and families look forward to college preparing students with knowledge for their future careers. In addition to this academic preparation, college is also a time of important personal growth for students. In college, your student will learn to make decisions independently, build new relationships, manage responsibilities, face challenges, and develop their own identity and values. Because of all of the new experiences to come, the first year of college is especially important for students. This article offers insight into the journey ahead for your student, the growth they will experience, and tips for supporting them along the way.
This article is written by the New Student Programs unit housed within Student Affairs. Through New Student Orientation, First-Year Experience programs, and other campus-wide programs for incoming UC Davis students, the New Student Programs team supports Aggies’ transition into UC Davis and their success throughout their first year.
As the Fall quarter begins, this brief description of the academic, social, emotional, and personal growth of college students may be useful as you support your student’s college journey.
Academic growth is one of the forms of growth a student will experience in college. Generally, through their coursework and co-curricular activities, college students will learn to think critically and solve complex problems. This growth typically results in the hard skills that relate to a student’s future career field. Beyond hard skills, soft skills are also important for students’ lives after college. In their lives beyond the classroom, students develop important soft skills and experience other forms of growth. Identity growth occurs as students engage with ideas, people, and behaviors that cause them to solidify their own sense of self.
Social growth happens as students build new relationships and work with diverse people. This might happen in study groups, student organizations, residential hall events, and within First Year Aggie Connections. First-Year Aggie Connection groups are led by UC Davis Faculty, Staff, and Graduate students. Participation in the groups is open only to first-year and transfer students with topics including K-POP, crafting, interest in biological sciences, and many more. These groups are only available during the Fall quarter and are a low-stakes, fun, and unique way for your student to begin their social growth.
As students face challenges and push through them, they experience growth in resilience and confidence. Typical challenges include a disagreement with a roommate, rejection from a group they wanted to join, or earning a grade lower than expected. To help support your student’s emotional growth, avoid fixing challenges for them. Instead, coach your student by asking guiding questions and encouraging a growth mindset. A growth mindset frames challenges not as failure but as opportunities to learn and improve. The topic of growth mindset is one of the many topics all first-year and transfer students will have the opportunity to discuss with their Peer Mentors over the course of their first year at UC Davis. Encourage your student to identify their Peer Mentor early and take full advantage of a trained peer available to support and guide them during their first year.
The first year of college in particular presents new experiences, challenges, and ideas that result in various forms of growth for college students. In the year ahead, your student will not only strive toward academic excellence, but they will also experience great personal growth from adolescence to adulthood. Overall, as your new Aggie learns to navigate becoming an adult, the greatest support you can provide is a mixture of encouragement and trust. The UC Davis New Student Programs Office is prepared to support their growth during this pivotal year as well.