By PAT NEWMAN
pnewman@thecitizennews.com

College-bound freshmen can be in for a rude awakening if they don't anticipate the major changes awaiting them their first year away from the comforts of home and the familiarity of high school.

“A student's first term in college can be the one that makes or breaks his or her college experience. Getting off to a good start is the best bet for succeeding in college,” according to Ellie Warga, a college instructor and president of College is Knowledge.

Her solution is a unique seminar designed to help new students navigate in the collegiate world. Warga will offer her three-hour course Saturday, July 22, from 1-4 p.m. at the Kedron Aquatic Center in Peachtree City. Cost of the session is $50 and includes a handbook. To sign up, contact the Peachtree City Recreation Department at 770-631-2542.

Warga delves into the kind of knowledge that only firsthand experience can provide: how to handle three midterms in a week, dealing with a difficult professor, roommate woes and setting realistic expectations for the first year.

A college freshman's newfound freedom coupled with large classes, a more rigorous academic load and whole new social scene can trigger anxiety in the most mature student, Warga noted.

“There is no course being offered in area high schools to prepare students for college,” she said. With 40 percent of students losing their HOPE scholarships after their first year, Warga sees her course as a way to gear up for the freshman year, emphasizing the need for students to learn responsibility and accountability.

Some of the tips she offers for the first-year student include having an open-minded attitude toward instructors and what they have to say.

“It's okay for students to agree to disagree,” she says. “In the classroom, they should be critical thinkers and develop other ways of looking at things.”

She also advises students to talk with upperclassmen about class selection. Warga says students should strike a balance between classwork and leisure activities. She also suggests getting in a study group which provides some structure and feedback for students.

Warga, 34, is a native of New York and has taught at DeKalb College, DeVry Institute of Technology and Shorter College. She has been featured on “Peachtree Morning” and a number of articles have appeared on metro area publications about her course.