Supporting the First-Year Students Community

Supporting the First-year Students Community

College freshmen face unique circumstances and need additional support. Being new on campus and often away from their home and family, they can feel isolated and may struggle to connect with their peers or the larger campus community. First-year students usually find themselves in 100-level classes that are typically in large auditoriums with many students and so may be less likely to make meaningful connections with peers or be known personally by their educator.

More Insight

The first year of college is a particularly vulnerable time for students. They are often adjusting to a new way of life in a new environment, sometimes away from family and friends for the first time.

Active Minds: Supporting the Whole Student

More than ever, students need the support of their entire campus community to provide caring, compassionate support so that students can cope with everyday mental health challenges and seek immediate assistance when needed and without embarrassment. As such, the first year of college presents a strategic opportunity to orient new students to the role of positive mental health in overall wellbeing and academic success.

Active Minds: Supporting the Whole Student

Helping Connect Students in Freshman Classes Encourage Participation In Campus Events and Organizations

There are a number of ways educators can help facilitate peer connections in first-year classes. From simply giving time for the students to introduce themselves, to easy-to-play group games, connecting is about adding some fun and allowing for comfortable conversation between students.

Classroom Connection Game Examples

New Game Familiar & Unique Two Truths & A Lie

Write down names of famous people related to the course material on sticky notes.

Students place a sticky note on their forehead and interact with their classmates, asking questions to figure out which name is on their sticky note.

This helps students interact with their classmates and can also help them learn and remember important figures in the class material.

Break the class into groups of four.

Each group comes up with four things they have in common.

Then they come up with something unique about each of them.

Each group shares their familiar and unique features with the rest of the class.

Give each student a notecard and ask them to write three statements about themselves: one statement should be false, and two should be true.

Break the class into smaller groups of 4-10 students.

Each student tries to fool people in their group about which statement on their card is false.

One of the most important things for a freshman to accomplish early in their college life is to find a community of friends. When students connect with one another, they can share common experiences and support each other. Educators can help students simply by giving them information about upcoming campus events and organizations. These could be in the course syllabus, listing organizations freshmen can join, directing them to where they can find this information, and announcing larger campus events during class.

More Insight

NAMI On Campus clubs work to end the stigma that makes it hard for students to talk about mental health and get the help they need. Clubs hold creative meetings, hold innovative awareness events, and offer signature NAMI programs through partnerships with NAMI State Organizations and Affiliates across the nation

NAMI On Campus: Because Mental Health Matters

We’re Here For You!