Eagerness to embrace a new experience Enthusiasm to make new friends Happy to leave home and gain independence Orientation and first year programs keep students busy Some anxiety and homesickness mixed with excitement ID: 684633
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Slide1
The W-CurveSlide2Slide3
Honeymoon Phase
Eagerness to embrace a new experience
Enthusiasm to make new friends
Happy to leave home and gain independence
Orientation and first year programs keep students busy
Some anxiety and homesickness mixed with excitementSlide4
Culture Shock
Expectations of what college “should” be are not being met
Adjustment feels difficult now rather than exciting
Navigating campus is confusing
Living with a roommate becomes irritating
High school academic strategies are not translating well to college schoolwork
Emotions related to homesickness grow to be overwhelmingSlide5
Initial Adjustment
Campus begins to feel more like home
Becoming acquainted with a new routine is comforting
Establish connections with new friends
Getting used to living with a roommate and using community bathrooms
Gaining confidence in new approaches to schoolwork
This phase happens quicker for extroverts Slide6
Mental Isolation
This phase typically begins after visiting home for the first time for an extended period of time
Home is not as familiar as it was while college still does not
feel like
home
Changes happened at home while you were gone
Homesick for an environment that seems to no longer exists
Doubts regarding college choice, major,
etcSlide7
Mental Isolation continued
Friends from home seem to be enjoying college more than you are
Beliefs
and values are challenged
You may realize
your
new “friend group” at college
formed only
because you were
eager to make friends and establish connections
Larger roommate issues surface
Cliques/friend groups have formed and you feel as if you missed the ship when it comes to making friendsSlide8
Acceptance and Integration
Connections to campus strengthen
Genuine friendships are form
Connections with professors and other faculty members develop
Realistic expectations of college are established
Roommate issues are resolved or managed
New values are formed/old values are solidified with your new perspectives as an independent adult
Independence feels liberating rather than overwhelmingSlide9
Journal
of College and University Student Housing, Volume 23, No. 2, 1993. Culture Shock and The First‐Year
Experience
by William J. Zeller and Robert Mosier Slide10
Discussion Questions
Is this model accurate?
Is anyone willing to share which phase you think you are in?
What helped you get through culture shock or mental isolation?
What resources on campus can help you through these various phases?Slide11
Discussion Questions
Is it OK to dislike your first semester of college
?
Are there benefits to gain from having a hard time adjusting to college?
Do you feel pressure to report positive feelings about your time at college to your friends and family at home?