It has almost been a month since Averett University welcomed back their returning students and introduced new incoming students to their new home. While it is just the start of a long journey for the freshmen class, the next four years can fly by really fast. College for many students is a time to transition from high school to their professional career, however college is also about exploring your identity and a place to make lifelong friends. The transition from high school student to college student can be a difficult transition for freshmen, but there are many ways and resources to make this transition easier. With Averett University being such a small family-oriented university, it has many upperclassmen, faculty and staff ready and excited to support the new students with their transition to college.
To help these students get settled, Averett has hired a group of students to be Connection Leaders on campus. Faith Bowlin, a senior, majoring in nursing and a captain on the women’s lacrosse team, has been Connection Leader at Averett. This fall, Bowlin and the other Connection Leaders were present during the 2024 Welcome Week, to help new students get settled and get to know the school and each other.
“Connection Leaders help freshmen transition into college because we are friendly faces that they can lean on when they need the support,” Bowlin said. “We are here to answer their questions and give them helpful advice on how to make the most of their experience. We host many exciting events that also introduce the freshmen to each other so when school starts they may see some familiar faces. Overall, it just helps them come out of their shell and positively influences them to get out of their rooms and try new things.”
Connection leaders can help you get started in college and help you get out of your shell, however there are many different ways to put yourself out there and fun things you can do to get out of your dorm room and make the most out of your time in college.
Sheyla Romero is a senior at Averett. She is a player on the women’s lacrosse team, an intern athletics trainer and is majoring in biomedical science. Despite her academic obligations, Romero still mentions the importance of being involved on campus.
“My advice to the freshmen is to be social and to join clubs or sports,” Romero said. “It allows you to meet a lot of people and build a community for yourself. Taking advantage of all the events on campus has really elevated my college experience. Student involvement organizes events such as bingo, karaoke, skating and other fun events, even in between classes.”
While having a social life and creating friendships is very important, time-management is needed in order to balance a social life with your academics. Managing your time efficiently and staying on top of schoolwork is needed in order to not fall behind. Falling behind does not only affect your grades, the added workload can also cause stress and lead to burnout. However, Averett has many resources available to support students when it comes to time-management, mental health and academic support.
The Galesi Student Success Center has tutors for different subjects but also tutors that will help with practicing time-management. Celia de Diego, a senior at Averett and player on the women’s soccer team, is one of the tutors in the Student Success center. De Diego is majoring in aviation management and flight operations, criminal justice, sociology with a minor in psychology and she is in the honors program. De Diego believes that even with a heavy schedule, students are still able to achieve academic success and maintain a social life, if managed efficiently.
“It is important to be aware and explore all the resources Averett has to offer,” de Diego said. “There are different ways to manage your time, just find something that fits you best and benefits you the most. Just make sure you are aware of your schedule and avoid procrastinating your work.”
Often there are several events and games for students to attend on campus, however there are also many other activities to do in and around Danville. In her free time, de Diego enjoys finding different hiking trails and going on hikes with her friends. Romero often spends her days off going on walks and exploring downtown Danville, or she will travel to a city nearby, such as Greensboro.
“As much as there are many fun things on campus, sometimes it can be good to spend some time away from the campus,” Romero said. “There are different places to walk around downtown, explore stores and restaurants or walk along the river. We are also close to different, bigger cities, like Greensboro. It is not too far from Danville, there is a lot to explore and I find it nice to spend some time in a different environment.
College will be a time to explore, evolve but also make mistakes and learn from them. The next four years will not be perfect, but college is all about making mistakes and learning from them and preparing yourself for your own future. Bowlin, de Diego and Romero all mentioned how fast the four years fly by and advise students to try and make the most out of their college experience, because it will be over before you know it.
“Be who you surround yourself with,” Romero said. “Don’t be afraid to speak up on things you don’t agree with. There is no right or wrong college experience, it is all about creating what experience you want to get out of college. Enjoy the people you meet, the experiences and just take it all in.”