It’s fall again, and that means four thousand-odd students are stepping on Syracuse’s campus for the first time. In the flurry of buying textbooks, moving into dorms and meeting new friends, freshmen have a lot on their plate.

Luckily, Syracuse University assigns a plethora of advisers to guide the new students through their first couple of days. Though having a bunch of people around, throwing advice in your face can be a lot to handle. These resources can affect the initial college experience for the better. Here’s how to make the most of your adviser, whether it be residential, peer or academic.

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Making the perfect schedule is stressful for any new Syracuse student, like an item on their long laundry list of freshman to-do tasks. However, the College of Arts and Sciences tries to make the transition as easy as possible.

Before any new student steps on campus, an advising counselor reaches out to them to help them with picking classes and makes them feel welcome about moving to upstate New York, said Kandice Salomone, associate dean for the advising and career Services office.

“Students are becoming very proactive, they want to know what’s going on around campus before they get there,” Salomone said. “There’s an expectation to build relationships over the summer.”

Once students move in, they are offered more support. Each student is assigned an advising counselor to help build excitement about the school and the core curriculum. Once a student decides on a major, they are assigned an additional major adviser.

In addition, first-year students are required to take a one-credit seminar, CAS 101, led by a faculty member. Salomone said the faculty member’s goal is to help inspire students by discussing what makes them personally excited about their profession.

“What makes a science professor excited about science? It’s important for students to get a different perspective,” Salomone said.

Though it may seem like a lot advisers may for just one new student, Salomone said the goal of the advising office is to provide as many outlets as possible to students and make them as prepared as possible by the time they get to campus.

Reaching out to professors may seem overwhelming, Salomone said the biggest piece of advice she can give new students is to ask questions, and to make an appointment to see an adviser if you still are unsure.

“We are really excited about this program and just want students to feel comfortable here,” Salomone said.

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When Katherine Tran stepped onto Syracuse University’s campus for the first time freshman year, she felt the way many other freshmen feel: overwhelmed. However, she said she quickly learned the ropes from her peer adviser, an older student in charge of helping freshmen with their schedules and transition into college.

Now, three years later, Tran, a senior advertising major, is still friends with the other four students in her peer advising group and stays in touch with her peer mentor.  She says this initial experience at Syracuse pushed her to become a peer adviser as well.

Last year, Tran was abroad and missed last year’s freshman coming to campus for the first time. This year, she wants to play an important role in this class’ transition.

“I’ve always wanted to help the incoming freshman,” she said. “It’s my way of giving back.”

Tran will have her own group of five Newhouse students. She says her main job is to walk them through the process of finalizing their schedule, understanding the Newhouse core curriculum, and showing them where the academic buildings are.

Tran said it is important not only for students to have someone to help with their schedules, but to have a student who has already been in their shoes and can relate to them and give them advice. She said freshman should use their peer adviser not just to talk classes, but to calm any nerves or homesickness.

“I want to ease the process of coming to college,” Tran said. “I know they are going to be scared and nervous, it’s natural, but I can relate to them as a student who’s been through Newhouse already.”

Though none of Tran’s five advisees share her major, she said she can still be there as a resource, and can always point them in the right direction. She said as a freshman, the most important thing is to use the resources given to you.

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You’ve moved into your dorm. You’re attending your first floor meeting, and you find out your resident adviser is just a year or two older than you. They’re an authority figure, but they could still end up sitting next to you in statistics. That’s a little different from high school, and it might have you a bit freaked out.

Aside from Goon Squad members, an RA was probably the first person you met at Syracuse. Almost immediately one might have came by your door just to say hello.

Maybe it all seems a bit forced from someone you just met, but Devin Nonnenman, an RA on the Mount Olympus Complex living on the floor 8 of Day Hall, said they’re only trying to help.

“An RA isn’t a forced friend, an RA is your first friend,” Nonnenman said. ”If you want to use them, they’re there for you. They’ll know your name, they’ll know what you’re into.”

Nonnenman said it’s a good idea to get to know your RA a bit too. You don’t have to be best friends, but at least the basics will enable you to keep them as a resource in your back pocket.

“It’ll be surprising when you’ll need them and then they’ll be able to help you,” Nonnenman said. “If you reach out to them before you have problems, it’s going to make it a little easier on you if problems do arise.”

Roommate issues are just one instance that proves why keeping your RA tuned in can be beneficial. Nonnenman said they’ll help you in the long run, rather than having tensions build up until they explode. He said RAs are there to recognize problems, but they can’t do that if you don’t let them.

This picture of an RA may not be what has been painted to you by older acquaintances. Nonnenman doesn’t want new residents to think that RAs are out to get them in trouble — he said to just think of RAs as students with a job.

“Our job is very strict in its requirements. It’s in a manner of trying to aid students before a problem occurs,” he said. “We are acting in your best interest according to our job.”

Nonnenman said it’s not just any job —both parties can really benefit from getting to know each other. Just spending a little bit of time together, like at a floor program, can open up new comfort zones. Nonnenman, who worked last year as an RA in Lawrinson Hall, said one his residents became an RA herself.

“Your role is making them feel welcome and making them feel like they are a member,” he said. “It’s a role that can push them to feel comfortable stepping out of their boundaries.”

Published on August 23, 2016 at 10:42 pm

Contact: jtbloss@syr.edu | @jtbloss