給大一新鮮人的七條忠告

去年響應學生處的號召，做了一年的大一新生的“猛托 (mentor)”。這是一個服務項目，不算工作量的。每個“猛托”的任務是指導看顧10名新生，具體來說是在辦公室與他們麵對麵交談三次 ：開學初期學生剛進校時與他們嘮嘮家常，認清人臉；期中考試之後，參照他們的成績單與他們談談那些地方須努力，那幾門功課考得好，鼓勵他們再接再厲；期末大考之前，再來一番鼓勵鼓勵，並再次告知如果需要的話，哪些資源可以利用。如寫作中心，數學lab，等等。 其他時間通過“臉書/Facebook”或電郵與之保持聯係，關注他們的情緒和行為，有什麽問題幫其解決。但一般來說我既不是他們的選課顧問，也不一定是他們的授課老師 （不過，那十個孩子中有一個在第二學期來修了我的課，功課倒不是太好，得了一個丙等成績；也許到底是一年級新生，課嗎，是三字號的課，其實應該稍等一二年再修才好），“猛托”的角色內涵近似於當他們的“拉拉隊”，是為他們鼓舞士氣的。據這個項目的組織者說，大學一年級是孩子們的適應期，需要有更多更廣的社會支持係統。實施了“猛托”製度的大學，往往比沒有此類製度的學校的學生流失率（轉學或綴學）要少得多，學生總的來說，會更加快樂一些。學年結束之前，學生處辦了一個頒獎午餐，給每一個“猛托”一頓“免費午餐”和一張獎狀，感謝和表彰大家的服務。（自然大家都吃的高高興興，誰說天底下沒有免費午餐？）學生處的麥克來信問，明年再做一次怎樣？我答，好吧。下麵把去年與“猛提 (mentee)”談話時給的建議總結一下，以便下次可以參考使用。

1.       Read syllabus of each course, know the name of the professor, know the office hours of the professor, and mark all the due dates of your assignments on your planner/calendar;  then keep up with the dates, don’t get behind!

2.       Use the office hours; visit your professors whenever you have a question; the office hours are meant for students to use, so use them! (oftentimes the one-on-one interaction in your professor’s office during office hour is more efficient and more effective than in the classroom where there are so many people);

3.       Make friends of your classmates, form study group; build a “buddy-system” (so whenever you need help with the class, get help from them);

4.       Get along with your roommates (they spend time with you day in and day out, a good relationship with them is important, it’s a way to make your day more pleasant and less stressful);

5.       Sleep well (7-8 hours per night, at least 6 hours), eat well (must have breakfast), and exercise regularly;

6.       Keep contact with family via various means such as email, phone, and text-messaging, or visit                                                                                  
7. Wait till the 2nd semester after adjustment is made to join those Greek clubs if possible.