school newcomers

It is not uncommon these days for high school or college freshmen to feel lonely on their first day at school. They get lost on campus, fail to catch sight of any familiar ace or have nobody to turn to for help. In my view, this increasingly common and serious phenomenon is an indication of the wide gap between these students’ unrealistic vision of school life and disappointing reality.
Some of the difficulties students encounter concern logistics. For example, they are puzzled as to the location of the students; cafeterias, where to register, or how they can retrieve information from the school library. To tackle these problems, a well- organized “orientation session” starting from the very first day would seem helpful. Students feel more at home if they have a detailed campus map, with every place they need to go marked on it.
More often, students’ sense of alienation arises from their own assumption of inadequacy as they face the new period of an independent life. This is natural enough after long years of childhood, when they were completely under their parents’ control. On their first day in the new environment, they are frustrated to find that what they aspired for --- “a brave new world” --- turns out to be a strange and alien one, and they are afraid that they may become even more disillusioned in the days to come.
Yet, with efforts from both the school and the students, the prospect of their gap being bridged is far from dim. Students should be encouraged and motivated to recognize the fact that they are now beginning to be responsible for them. To make this transitional period go smoothly, students should be given the opportunity to prepare themselves. Schools and colleges can invite prospective students for a brief campus tour before the new semester starts. Junior or senior students can be organized to share their own experiences of campus life with freshman. As a result, students will develop a confident feeling about themselves as capable people.
306