First-Year Transitions

Ask a first-year student “What’s new?” and then make yourself comfortable. The answer could take quite a long time. Everything is new!

New friends, new environment, new teachers. New responsibilities, like getting yourself to class on time. New ways of thinking and learning. New ideas to explore.

The newness is part of the fun and excitement of college. But so much newness all at once can make for a difficult first-year transition. We have special programs and resources that can really help.

Academic

Our Student Success Center (SSC) is the go-to place for academic success. The SSC offers free tutoring in most freshman and some upper-division courses, including math, chemistry, biology, languages, philosophy, history and English. One-on-one and small group appointments are available online and in-person in the Student Success Center.

Detroit Mercy also offers learning communities conducted by tutors who sit in on specific sections of targeted courses throughout the term and run study sessions weekly. These guided learning studios support first-year math, science and English classes.

Writing

At Detroit Mercy, we believe that writing is integral to your student’s education, regardless of major. The Writing Center supports any and all departments that have classes with writing components. What can your student do at the Writing Center?

• Engage in one-on-one sessions with trained peer and professional writing consultants.
• Work on any stage of the writing process.
• Review assignments, drafts, instructor feedback and questions.
• Get support if English is not your student’s first language.
• Work on reading comprehension, grammar/punctuation topics and research.

Personal

Our University Wellness Center offers a range of personal counseling options. Detroit Mercy offers both in-clinic and online access to counseling sessions. Session modality will be determined according to student need. Therapists are available for crisis intervention treatment.

Just Ask. Please!

No matter how many services and programs we offer, it’s up to students to get the help they need. They need to be aware of our services and be comfortable using them. Outside of our programs and services, they need to know that informal help is all around them for things that come up on a daily basis:

• Our professors are compassionate and generous with their time. Ask them.
• Staff members are always available to assist. Ask them.
• RAs in every residence hall are there to help. Ask them.
• Every student is assigned an adviser. Ask him or her.

As a parent, you can help us enormously by encouraging your student to seek help at the first sign it’s needed. Thank you!

Did You Know?

Commuting does NOT equal disconnection! Many Detroit Mercy students commute and find they can still be connected to campus life. If your student is a commuter, encourage him or her to remain on campus for events. Also, participation in one of Detroit Mercy’s many cocurricular programs will keep him or her in the loop.