Freshman students form O-H-I-O during “Buckeye Kick-Off” on Aug. 27 at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Courtesy of Lindsey Orozco

Freshman students form O-H-I-O during “Buckeye Kick-Off” on Aug. 27 at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Courtesy of Lindsey Orozco

Freshman year can be a very difficult time for some students who are away from home, adjusting to the courseload, meeting roommates and, on top of all of that, dealing with the pressure to be successful. For some, freshman year might be the most difficult transition in life.

Ohio State puts on Welcome Week every year to help students begin the transition back to campus, but it doesn’t stop there. The Office of Student Life has 40 different departments that are all dedicated to helping students succeed, said Dave Isaacs, communications and media relations manager for Student Life.

“What we aim to do is help (freshmen) transition from coming on to campus and then into their classroom setting, into their social setting, into really life at here, Ohio State, and life in the greater Columbus community,” Isaacs said.

Another resource for first-year students is the First-Year Experience program. Bernie Savarese, director of University Orientation and First-Year Experience, said the university admits students one at a time, focusing on selecting students who are likely to succeed in all aspects.

Savarese said that when students do struggle, it is in areas such as time management and study skills.

He said there are numerous programs to help students in these areas, including the success series offered with the survey courses.

“We shouldn’t leave a lot up to chance in terms of student success in the first year,” Savarese said. Thus, the curriculum in a success series course is tailored to the issues they see most first-year students suffer from.

Ryan Lovell, senior director for Parent and Family Relations, said his office within Student Life offers information to families about the opportunities their students have at OSU.

“Students are more likely to do things if their family members know about them,” Lovell said.

Savarese noted a correlation between first-year students who take advantage of the resources offered to them and a higher GPA.

“Students who are engaged always do better,” he said.

David Tucker, a first-year in architecture, said after Buckeye Kick-Off that he felt the Welcome Week event had great energy and mirrored the inclusiveness he’s experienced so far at OSU.

“No one ever leaves you out. Everyone is always interested in what you’re doing. It’s really an awesome campus, to be honest,” he said.