Monday, June 16, 2014

Laura Dunn- Eagarly Awaiting Practicum

Unlike most of the students in the program a few of us will not truly begin out practicum until the month of July.  I am impatiently included in this category.  Over the month of July I will be working with the College Ready program on the MSU campus.  College Ready is a program designed to give students a head start to campus by taking part in a choice of several courses before their freshman year officially begins.  Some students will be advanced students who are truly seeking a head start, while some others in the program will be taking part in a lower level math course which will bring them up to speed with the rest of the student population.  This practicum is a wonderful balance between student affairs and academics, something I feel continually drawn toward.  Additionally it works well with my full time job.  I work the month of June with orientation and this program takes place in July making it a natural fit of both my interests as well as my schedule. While the root of the program is academic, there is also a large amount of carefully crafted programing to help students also adjust not only to academics but their new surroundings and individuals as well. 

I am eager to begin work with these students as I will be given a segment of them to keep up with over the course of July.  I hope to be able to make a difference to them, not only through the month of July, but for the rest of their time at school.  I hope to be able to gain the trust and understanding of the many students I serve as well as gain valuable experience though the programming and planning. Until we begin work in July, I will look forward to the many new and exciting times ahead of me!

2 comments:

  1. Laura- I enjoyed reading your post because I, too, am awaiting to begin my practicum. Thank you for sharing and explaining what the College Ready program is and giving examples of students who may be interested in this program. I see this program as a great resource for helping with the transition stage. I have a question, how does the university promote this program and do they seek out any particular student group more than another. Thank you again for sharing!

    -Lindsay Pinkston

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  2. Laura,

    I too am forced to wait until July to begin hours as you know, so reading your post helped me remember that it was not just me reading exciting posts and feeling a twinge of impatience. I actually did not know that College Ready had a programming component. I thought the focus was solely on academic preparation. Thanks for correcting me on this misconception. As a result, I am excited to hear about your journey, programming, and students. I am sure you will do great and be very helpful for your students.

    -Nelda B. Bailey

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