A mid-year orientation program: Addressing the needs of mid-year entry students

Abstract

Whilst much attention has been paid in the last decade to the first year experience of tertiary students, in particular their orientation and transition, little research has focused on students who commence at mid-year. This report provides an insight into the expectations of mid-year entry students and their initial experiences. It reports on a small-scale study associated with an innovative orientation program, Mid-year EXCELerate, designed to better equip these students in their first few weeks at University and to facilitate their transition process. The results indicate that students did not recognise the importance of social support in transition prior to commencing their studies, although the importance of this factor became quite evident to them during their early experiences. Several problems were identified as being particular to mid-year entry and further research will lead to a better understanding of the mid-year entry experience by University policy makers and teaching staff.