This year, Mississippi State University’s entering freshman class experienced record-breaking enrollment.
Kendrick Bailey, staff coordinator of Student Counseling Services, said many freshmen and transfer students initially have trouble adjusting to life at a university.
“(We see students struggle) with being away from their family and support system at home, time management and with feeling out of place and struggling to get connected on campus,” Bailey said. “Some students get involved with organizations right away, and then sometimes it’s a long process for students to feel connected. It just depends on the student.”
Bailey said Student Counseling Services offers wellness workshops and support groups, which could benefit new students struggling to adjust to college life.
“Our wellness workshop series is offered in the Union, and those workshops cover topics like dealing with anxiety, how to form new relationships and other general issues. The support groups cover a variety of topics. They’re a big part of how we spread our message of mental health awareness,” he said.
Ty Abernathy, campus coordinator for Pathfinders, said MSU is aware of the need for a support system for incoming students. Abernathy said Pathfinders was created in 1998 as a way to monitor freshmen attendance in order to know when freshmen are struggling with classes.
“ACT scores and high school GPAs are pretty good predictors of how a student will perform in college, but a better predictor is class attendance,” Abernathy said. “What’s interesting is if someone has a high high school GPA and ACT score but they don’t go to class, they usually don’t fare well. However, even if they have lower GPA and ACT score and actually go to class, they usually do well. So that’s why we really focus on class attendance.”
Before the Pathfinders program began, approximately 25 percent of students were classified as having attendance problems, Abernathy said. Today, that number has dropped to single digits.
After professors report student absences to Pathfinders, resident hall academic assistants speak to the students who have been reported, Abernathy said.
“We tell them when you first start missing class, that’s one of the first signs that you’re having problems,” Abernathy said. “We also give them a resource card with locations on campus to assist them with school work.”
Anna Morales, a junior psychology major, said upperclassmen often forget how they first felt when they arrived at MSU.
“I think it’s so easy for (upperclassmen) to forget how scary it was for us when we first got here. I mean, this is a big place to someone who doesn’t know it very well yet,” Morales said. “It can be pretty intimidating. Personally, I think we should make an effort to welcome new students and make them feel like this is a place they can call home.”
Bailey said the best way for students to feel like they belong is to get involved on campus.
“Use your resources. Find out what services MSU has to offer,” he said. “Be social in different organizations. Anything (students) need, MSU has it. You just have to do a little research.”
Abernathy said his best advice to freshmen and transfer students would be to make class attendance a priority.
“Go to class each and every day, and if you’re going to miss, touch base with your professor to see what you missed and what you’ll need to make up,” Abernathy said.