At one point in Make Your Home Among Strangers, Lizet references Rawlings as the “foreign college world.” This description evokes ideas of a place one knows little about, a strange place where the culture may not make sense at first. All first years are coming to college with different backgrounds, but college is “foreign” to each and every one of them. Do not worry, everyone around you will be new to this.
Attending college is a major change in routine. College is structured distinctly from high school; meeting people, getting help, and taking classes will be quite different from what you are used to. During Lizet’s first year at Rawlings College she struggled in the transition, not knowing how to get an internship, having trouble making friends, and being unaware of helpful groups or organizations on campus. Facing difficulties is entirely normal; there will be bumps on the road. However, with the Common Read, the goal is to enable a smooth transition into college. After reading Make Your Home Among Strangers, you will be aware of potential challenges you may face in this big move. Luckily, UMass has the staff, resources, and organizations that will help the whole way.
In the book, Lizet has a tough time fitting in and finding her niche on campus. Early on she abandons participating in the Diversity Affairs event. The diversity initiatives at UMass offer extensive support, events, and cultural safe spaces to help you learn and get settled into the community. Later, Lizet had difficulties managing her workload before finding the study group she joined. Luckily, at UMass there are numerous tutoring resources, such as the Writing Center, to help you get all of your college-level work done. For every other hobby or interest, there is a vast network of student and university organizations to help you get involved.
College is a journey that nobody should have to go alone. Lizet tried this at first and it was an uphill battle. The Common Read is meant to function as a guide, not so much a do’s and don’t’s, but it can work as a foundation for thinking about how to approach this enormous transition in your life. There are support systems in every community, organization, and resource on campus. They will not all be right for you, but in the big “foreign college world” there is bound to be a right fit that will lead you to success – you just need to find it.