August 31, 2022

While Columbus State University students officially began their studies the week of Aug. 15, two new programs helped some first-year students get a head start and a preview of college life. Transitioning from high school to college can be daunting for many students, so these programs allowed these students to start class early, build a sense of community, and become familiar with the academic support programs at CSU that will position them for success throughout their studies.

“Cougar Scholars,” a commuter-focused bridge program, served 14 local first-year students who obtained between a 3.0 and 3.25 required high school curriculum GPA. The program began on June 21 and extended through July 29. Students got a head start on their studies and adjusted to the demands of college, while the CSU Foundation provided underwriting for their summertime studies.

Dr. Melissa Young, director of Columbus State’s student advising office, CSU Advise, mentioned that college retention research shows that students make a decision whether they want to continue at a college or university within the first three weeks. Fit, forming their own community, and getting involved in campus life are all factors in their decision to remain enrolled beyond their first semester.

“These programs are really to build community with the students and to help them find their fit, have a sense of belonging at CSU, make friendships and form relationships,” Young said. “Our ‘Cougar Scholars’ were exposed to all of the resources that the campus has to offer, and the workshops went into more detail about CSU, in a fun and more interactive way.”

While the summer phase of “Cougar Scholars” is over, 12 of the 14 students who participated in the summer program have moved together as a cohort into fall semester programming. Their continued involvement focused on academic support programs that included financial aid, career development, tutoring, advising, and workshops centered around studying, note-taking, test-taking and other skills to help ensure success.

The second early-college program, a four-day “Cougar Launch,” began on Aug. 7 and served 35 students who resided on Main Campus before the official start of the fall semester on Aug. 16. These students participated in special activities that helped foster a better sense of social belonging within the group, while intensive academic and financial-focused programs helped ready them for college life. The no-cost program—also funded by the CSU Foundation—allowed them to move in a week early, get familiar with the campus, and get a jump start on building a personal campus network.

“All incoming first-year students were required to attend our ROAR Orientation sessions,” said Rolo Lopez, who is also a CSU orientation leader in addition to studying business management. “These sessions provided them with the basic tools to succeed in their first semester. The ‘Cougar Launch’ program went beyond this and focused more on how the students can prepare themselves to tackle their academic goals. In the end, these students were left with more knowledge of the academic resources available to them but also with more confidence in their studying skills.”

Some of the special activities that the students participated in throughout the four days included a movie night, workshops, team-building and social activities. The group also had the opportunity to visit the Coca-Cola Space Science Center and Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center for a service project, helping the center get ready for students coming in to see it this fall. On the final day, the students spent the day in CSU’s Student Recreation Center, playing games, climbing the rock wall, and doing other team-building activities.

There is also a new admission pathway available for students, which allows students to be accepted into an associate's degree pathway if they don’t quite meet the admission criteria. Once they earn 30 hours they can transfer into a bachelor's degree program. Those students have advisors to help them through the process.

“Hopefully, the students saw us as a support system and will be more willing to seek information moving forward,” Young mentioned. “We hope the students will be successful and we are here to help them continue on to future semesters and graduate.” 

For more information about the programs and CSU Advise, visit https://www.columbusstate.edu/csu-advise/.