Story by Benjamin Moten | Photo illustration by Daniel R. Doherty

     Going off to college is a big step. You’re fresh out of high school and pretty naive to how college is going to be, especially if you’re a first generation college student. Before I participated in the Academic S.T.A.R.S. program (STudents Achieving and Reaching for Success), I expected college to be totally different. Think about every movie you’ve seen about college. Remember the parties, the drinking and the relaxing? Many freshmen aren’t prepared to adjust to college life because they don’t know what to expect.
     The Academic S.T.A.R.S. program is a 5-week retention program that gives 30 African-American students a chance to earn seven credit hours towards graduation and learn about the various resources available on campus. It gives people the chance to see how college-level coursework will be.
     After spending the summer on campus, I was prepared for the fall so I was confident. But, based on observation and personal experience, I feel it’s very hard for many freshmen to adjust to life on a college campus, thanks to the veneer that high school placed on us.
     Remember all the things you did in high school? Senior trips, prom, the football games; and who can forget graduation? Most think the purpose of high school is to prepare you for college and the real world, but it often leaves many incoming freshmen in a state of denial. In high school, there is not a lot of work and there is not a lot of necessary studying. Not knowing what to expect from college can lead to uncertainty among freshmen.
     As a minority on this campus, you might see one or two other people in classes who look like you, making one feel like he or she is alone. This is the case for many freshmen.
     Chiara Turner is an African-American student and feels like adjusting to college as a minority is a bit tougher than it might seem.
     “High school life is different,” Turner said. “My high school was very diverse and coming here; it’s a shock. There are not a lot of people here that look like me. There also are not a lot of other races.”
     She says being a minority is not the only thing that makes her adjustment harder.
     “My high school left me unprepared for college in a sense because I went to a performing arts school, so we didn’t have the same curriculum. We still had math and English classes, but it wasn’t the same, so it’s been harder. The work here is more intense.”
     One of the biggest problems that freshmen deal with is separating home life from college life. During the Academic S.T.A.R.S. program, I had trouble separating myself from the work I had to complete and dealing with the pressure to succeed. I constantly found myself struggling because at times, I missed my family, my own bed and my grandmother was sick. The list went on.
     Not all freshmen are struggling with that transition. Daniel Caraballo, who is a Puerto-Rican student, seems confident about completing his freshman year. While he has not had trouble adjusting to the campus as a minority, he feels like people of Hispanic descent are under-represented on the campus.
     ”I have not seen any Hispanics around,” Caraballo said. “I’m sure there are others; I just have not seen any of them.”
     He’s also comfortable being a minority on this campus.
     “Being a minority on this campus does not affect me at all,” Caraballo said. “I graduated from a majority Caucasian school where I was already in the minority. I already knew what I was coming into.”
     Even though he feels under-represented, he’s adjusting pretty well. As a student in the college prep school, Cleveland St. Ignatius, the biggest change he’s had to make was living in the dorms.
     Caraballo also acknowledges that he misses home, but he’s in college for a reason.
     “While I really miss my family and friends back home, I am out here to continue my life,” Carballo said. “I know that they are supporting me. If I continue to look back, that will not help me look forward. I definitely feel pressure, but it’s not enough to scare me.”
     Another student that has made a smooth transition from high school to college is freshman Christopher Baldwin. He’s a Caucasian student from Nashville, Tenn. Being from out of state has not made adjusting hard for him at all. In fact, it has helped him adjust easier. Going to college away from home has forced him to make friends and get used to the area.
     “My whole reason to coming Kent State was because I wanted to get out-of-state.” Baldwin said. “I wanted to break out my comfort zone, and there’s no way I’m driving nine hours back home.”
     He knows that while he’s here at Kent State, getting his education is important.
     “I definitely feel pressure to do well,” Baldwin said. “My parents have made it very clear that they’re paying for me one time through. They aren’t expecting a fifth year or any flunking grades either. They want me to enjoy myself, but they aren’t dealing with me failing or dropping out.”
     Luckily for Baldwin, he has not had issues with any of his classes.
     While he is having an easy adjustment to college, he knows that adjusting from high school to college will not be easy for all freshmen.
     “I think some freshmen are trying to hold onto their high school experience and the memories with all your friends,” Baldwin said. “This is the rest of my future, and I’m trying to separate those high school experiences from what’s going on now.
     Freshman Tierney Robinson, on the other hand, is having a bit of trouble. As an African-American, she is adjusting to living away from home and being underrepresented on campus.
     “I’m still deciding if I want to stay here in Kent State,” Robinson said. “I miss my family, my friends, and it’s different from what I’m used to. I want to say that I’m going to stick it out because life isn’t easy and college isn’t going to be easy either. At the same time, leaving here will not make me a stronger person. Still, it’s difficult at times.”
     She also feels pressure to get good grades. Robinson was a leader at her high school and feels pressure to maintain those standards.
     “High school didn’t really prepare me for college,” Robinson said. “The social scene is completely different, and you have a lot more responsibility to take on. I really do not think that my high school helped me transition to college at all.”
     Even though Robinson feels under-represented, she’s taking it as a learning experience. Getting involved on campus has been an outlet for her.
     “Being active in high school has driven me to be active in college,” Robinson said. “I looked into a few organizations, and I’m a part of BUS. Helping out can be a bit much sometimes because I still have work to complete, but I enjoy it. I’m looking into other organizations as well.”
     Being a minority affected sophomore Nick Walton during his freshman year.
     “It affected me as a freshman, and it still does,” Walton said. “There was a time when I was with a bunch of students. We were discussing grades and because the teacher was black, they made a joke saying that I got the benefit of a better grade because I was black. It’s affected maybe how some people look at me, but I try not to think about race too much. I grew up in an area where most of the people were white, and I went to a school where most of the people were white. Race has been something I’ve dealt with my whole life, so it wasn’t like a big culture shock for me. It’s affected me, but I don’t use it as a crutch.”
     Walton participated in the Academic S.T.A.R.S. program during the summer of 2007, and the program gave him an idea of what to expect when he came to campus for the fall semester.
     “I feel that the Academic S.T.A.R.S. program helped me prepare for the regular coursework.” Walton said. “There are a lot of things that I felt that if I hadn’t learned then, I might have been shocked when the regular semester started. I feel that if anything, it did help. It’s hard to tell if I’d be in the same position that I am in now without the program. “
     Still, being a minority on the campus wasn’t the hardest adjustment for Walton. He learned that he would have to work harder to see the results he wanted from his grades.
     “My freshman year wasn’t easy; college isn’t easy.” Walton said. “I put in a lot of work, and I was sort of disappointed with how my first semester went in terms of results. Even in my second semester, there were things that I improved on. I feel that I’m still improving on areas this semester.”
     There are many reasons that freshmen have trouble adjusting to college life. However, that doesn’t mean they should let circumstances get in the way of being happy. As a minority on any college campus, it can be overwhelming. Although the environment may not be to what you have grown accustomed, adjusting can be easier than it initially seems. Being able to make it through your freshman year is just one of the many milestones you pass in order to enjoy your college years.