Rich-Joseph Facun/THE POST Ohio University freshmen Tracy Kuehnle and Jason Stidham enjoy an evening out at a friend's house. Stidham will be featured in Tuesday's edition of The Post as the second part in a series on transition into college life as seen through the eyes of OU freshmen.

Editor's note: This is the first article in a five-part series about the transition into college life as seen through the eyes of four OU freshmen enrolled in a University College 110 class.

The first year in college is a big transition.

Most freshmen struggle with finding new friends, balancing class work and free time and learning to live on their own.

"It's a totally different set of challenges," said Dr. Michael Hanek, psychologist at Counseling and Psychological Services at Hudson Health Center.

"Some students are not accustomed to supervising themselves," Hanek said.

Freshmen have to learn how to manage their time and be self-reliant, all while trying to meet friends and adjust to residence hall living, he said.

"It becomes difficult because they have to develop all of these aspects at once," he said.

Senior Kristin Hazen said she had a difficult time living with her roommates freshman year.

"It's hard getting used to living with other people," she said. "I was one of those people who thought if I stuck it out, the situation would get better, but it never did."

In addition, the adjustment from high school to college classes is difficult. Some freshmen experience a higher level of competition and harder schoolwork than in high school. They also have to adjust to the change in class sizes.

"It's quite a juggling act that they have to cope with," Hanek said. "They take their toll. Some have learned to juggle quite nicely; some haven't."

Hanek said overall OU's freshmen are doing well, and many remain here after their freshman year. OU's retention rate for students after their freshman year is about 80 percent. Out of the 3,309 freshmen who enrolled at OU in 1997, 496 left, according to the Office of Institutional Research.

"Sometimes, it just comes down to this school being the right match for some students and the wrong one for others," Hanek said.

Out of the college students who drop out, 55 percent leave after their freshman year, said Vincent Tinto, a distinguished professor at the University of Syracuse. He has been researching student retention rates for the past 25 years.

One-fourth of college dropouts leave because they cannot make the grade. However, there are several other reasons why students leave school, especially in their first year, he said.

"Freshman year is particularly difficult because (freshmen) face a number of transitional issues," Hanek said.

Hazen said she could attest to that.

"You have all of this new-found freedom and you have to balance it with other obligations," she said.

Some departures result from the person's inability to make the adjustment to the academic and social life of college. For some students who face severe problems, withdrawal from college often occurs in the first six weeks of the first semester, Tinto said.

"Even the most able or socially mature can experience problems in making the transition from high school to the demands of college," he said. "They leave not only because they are out of place but also because they are bored."

Also, freshmen often leave because they feel isolated and are unable to make friends. Others leave because they do not have enough money, planned to transfer to another college or were not sure why they came to college in the first place, he said.

"Many, possibly even a majority of students, begin their college careers with only the vaguest notions of why they have done so," he said.

Retention rates have remained relatively stable, Tinto said. He believes freshman study skills classes have contributed to more success and higher retention rates.

Seventy percent of colleges offer a freshman study skills course, according to the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina.

Tinto said colleges need to make sure students are involved in and out of the classroom. Faculty should advise students with their majors and give them academic help if needed. Tinto said.

OU's University College 110 course teaches time management and study skills to freshmen, said Sharon Kousaleos, basic skills instructor at OU's Academic Advancement Center.

"One of my goals is to have the students do a lot of honest reflections. I want them to come away with a good understanding of themselves," she said.

Kousaleos specifically teaches them how to schedule their day, absorb more from reading material and how to study effectively for tests. She also stresses the importance of using the library and computers.

The class also is beneficial for students who want to improve their study habits, she said.

"It teaches them to make decisions for themselves," she said.

Kousaleos said she wants the students to think about life outside of the classroom. She asks them to think about their long-term goals and their strengths and weaknesses, she said.

For Hazen, a lot has changed since her freshman year. She changed her major from journalism to English education and does not drink as much anymore.

"Early on, learn how to divide your time. Don't get caught up in the hustle and bustle," she said. "And take time to enjoy it."