Beginning college for many students can be like landing in a foreign country.  There are new rules, a new language (like registrar, financial aid, syllabus), and a new community of students some who have been in this strange land  longer than others.  Put yourself in that place for a minute.  YIKES.  What can be done to help students have a smoother and easier transition to the new world of college?

One very effective strategy that a college can implement is a summer orientation  program for incoming students.  These programs typically run for a week or longer and serve as a bridge between college and high school.

BCC offers one such program called Campus Connection.  Click on the link below to see more information about the program.

http://www.berkshirecc.edu/CampusConnection

This past summer, 20 incoming high school students participated in the program.  The theme around which all our activities centered, was listening.  Using Listening is An Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the Storycorps Project, students interviewed an important person in their lives.  At the end of the week, the interviews were transcribed to create their  own book.

When Campus Connection students ended the week, it was clear that they had indeed connected with the college and with each other,and were ready to start their new lives at college students.

Campus Connection Students 2010