The (many) starts of a new semester
I wrote this post on the Friday before the start of classes. For our university, that means move-in day for thousands of students. There is a certain element of chaos to the day, especially with the rain. Yet, I also find the day magical.
As a first-generation student who attended community college, I didn’t experience traditions like move-in day. I didn’t experience college residential life at all. I am still in awe of the idea of going to a university for four years to receive an education.
What does the start of a semester look like for college students across the country? Let’s look at some numbers from 2021 to get a sense for this question.
There were 15.4 million students enrolled as undergraduates at degree-granting1 post-secondary institutions in the USA
Approximately, two-thirds of students are full-time
61% of undergraduates were involved in at least one distance education course
There were nearly half a million undergraduate U.S. nonresident students
There was also enormous variation enrollment along race/ethnic lines
I note some of these numbers to highlight the large amount of diversity in what the first week of classes looks like for college students across the USA. Many students left their home states, or even countries, to enroll at our institutions. Students may be enrolling as non-traditional students, caring for young children or elderly parents, or working in addition to taking courses. Even within my own university, there is a tremendous amount of diversity. In Fall 2022, 55% of all students were classified as non-residents, meaning they were from another state. Of all undergraduates, approximately 5% were new transfer students that semester. Another 1% of students were re-admits. These are students that took time off before returning to the university. Of the 5,147 students enrolled during the Fall, each of them has their own story and path.
I think it is important for faculty members and administrators to remember the varied contexts our students experience when they start classes. The path and family background of faculty are not the same as the students we teach. Thus, I think it is often challenging for faculty to understand and empathize with the students in our classes. Each student is facing a unique set of circumstances as they start the semester. In addition, each faculty member has their own lives and circumstances that they bring into the semester.
Let’s try to be kind to one another.
Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs