Orientations

What Students Need to Know to Succeed in College

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Introduction
One of the hardest things students have to negotiate after leaving the protected environment of high school is the considerably more difficult terrain of college or the university. The intent of this page is to create a discourse over this complex subject between students and instructors, but also between instructors and instructors and between students and students.

We hope this discourse will be frank and honest and we invite participating instructors to tell students "the truth," even to tell students truths "that may hurt." Our goal is to help equip students with the tools that will help orient them in what may be a strange new world, tools that will help them succeed in college.

We are, therefore, launching this page with a series of instructors' comments on this subject on the premise that instructors have broader and deeper experience of the college and university environment and can guide students, in much the same way that instructors guide students through course materials. At the same time, we do not intend to deny the experiences students have, and we will make provisions for student feedback and for including student ideas in this discourse.

This is a rich subject with lots of different perspectives and ideas. We hope this page proves both provocative for those who want to challenge their own beliefs and assumptions and a fertile source of information and ideas for those who are seeking ways to enhance their chances of success.

Joe Old, Instructor
Joe Bryan, Instructor

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