When a Student Must Look Out For Their Own Best Interest

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?