A world of their own. Freshman Academies are springing up across the country. School leaders have found that attendance, discipline, and academics suffer with freshman.
Freshmen in high schools and colleges across the country all must deal with the transition from junior high to high school or high school to college. All freshmen must deal with social and academic changes.
Freshman Academies for high schools often act as a school within a school. The students have their own lockers, classes, gyms, lunch periods.
Here at the University of Memphis, freshmen are offered the Freshmen First Program, which started five years ago in 1997.
Tiffany Young, the Assistant Area Coordinator in Richardson Towers, works directly with Freshman First students.
“The program helps to ease the transition for freshmen students,” said Young. “It provides benefits through programming and tutoring.”
The Freshmen First Program offers separate housing options, dining plans, special programs and tutoring.
For the past two years, the program has used the slogan of “Putting the Pieces Together.” The idea is of putting the puzzle pieces of college life, such as community, society, and academics together.
Cynthia Randolph, a former Freshman First student, is now a Resident Advisor for the Freshman First program. She said she came back to the program because she got a lot out of it.
“The program is what you make of it,” said Randolph. “I encourage all freshman to take advantage of what the program offers.”
Young says the program is beneficial because it brings things to students.
“Anyone can get tutoring, but Freshman First brings it to you; all you have to do is come downstairs.”
The program is working on adding new additions that are more visible and that are available to students whether they take part in programs or not.
The difference between the Freshmen First Program on campus and Freshman Academies in high schools is that students here are not as isolated from other students like they are on high school campuses.
Students still attend classes with students of different classifications and are directly among university life.
“I don’t think we really separate,” said Young. “There is a lot of mentorship from the faculty, staff, and upper classmen.
Young said that the only separation is in the living arrangement, which is set up so that they will get out and meet people.
Mary Beth Langford, a Freshman First student, appreciates the program.
“I got to know a lot more people,” said Langford. “We can relate to each other because we have the same classes and we can help each other out.”
Langford believes the program helps freshmen get started at the university.
