Arriving to the university a few weeks late may seem like a
great last minute effort to make it there but a student should really think
about if this is in their best interest.
The university search is a crucial time when a student must think about what is best for him or her. Confronted with
various choices regarding what university to attend, what to study, where to study
and more students should reach their final decisions based on what is in their
best interest academically, socially and culturally.
In recent weeks, we have worked with several students who received
a late university admission. Despite being late, these students are ready
to go although classes have already started. These same students are quick to say that the
university has told them they can still come although they may be starting a
bit late!
Recognizing how excited students are about this new
experience, we still feel it necessary to encourage them to wait for the next
semester or year in order to begin on time with their classmates. We understand that they may have an admission
letter and student visa that may allow them to slide in the country within 3-4
days, however our insistence on students waiting goes beyond this.
Our reason for asking them to wait and arrive on time for
classes is based on experience. We know
that often international students face many challenges that can be overwhelming. Away from home they are confronted with a new
location, new cultures, new friends and maybe new languages. Universities organize their orientation programs
to help students transition into their new surroundings. This orientation program can consist of one
day or one week of activities designed to introduce students to both campus
life and their new city. During this period students learn to navigate around
campus, purchase books, become familiar with their faculty and become
integrated into the wider campus community.
Students ready to arrive late see it as just jumping into
their classes. However based on our experiences, we believe that arriving late
can have a long term negative impact. Late
students will have missed 2-3 weeks of class along with the crucial introductory
period into each course. They may find
that faculty with heavy teaching loads are not easily available to sit down and
help them catch up. The initial feeling
of being overwhelmed that other students confronted during their first week may
stay with late students for a longer period of time as they try to catch-up.
Universities like business have target numbers and projected
revenues therefore a student arriving late may be of more benefit to the
institution than to them. Most
important, I have seen students arrive late and struggle to catch up with the work
missed and ultimately earn below average results. Students must remember when the grades are
given out professors may not take into account that you came late. At that moment you may find yourself graded
on whether you did or did not succeed. This
is why we tell students to think about what is in their best interest because
if they don’t do this then who will?
