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Adjustment to the University Adjustment is a harsh certainty when entering the university system. You will go through a period of adjustment that might be discouraging at first. However, you will learn about your new environment, gain experiences that encourage familiarity and comfort, and ultimately learn to thrive. Take a moment to realize right now that your transition to the university will most likely begin in panic and make slow steps towards mastery. The aim is lessen the shock of your new environment and expedite your process of mastery. According to Edward “Chip” Anderson, Professor of Education at UCLA and Azusa Pacific University, The critical factors during the transition to college fall into three categories: (1) the process of disconnecting from background/external factors; (2) the types of attributions students make concerning their abilities and ability to succeed in college; and (3) the extent to which students have a strong motivation and a positive attitude towards themselves and the college experience.1 Specifically, Professor Anderson is referring to the absence of students’ familiar factors such as family or previous school, the degree of effort exerted by students, and how students react to their new academic environment. Ultimately, the severity of the mastery process depends on the choices students make, not the adverse conditions of the university. This is a message of hope. You control how well and how quickly you will adjust to your new school. The main reasons freshmen and transfer students experience difficulties adjusting to a four-year university are the differences in their environments. Differences in the campus and class size, the expectations and accessibility of professors, the level of competition among students, and the goals of education make the university a radical change from high school or junior college. To read more about adjustment to the University System, and how to note the ways you can connect to your campus, making it a familiar territory, click here.
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