It’s no secret that going to college is one of the biggest transitions for most young people. As freshmen college students begin to take advantage of their newly found freedom, they explore what it’s like to be responsible for their own actions and not having to answer to mom and dad. But what about sophomores?

“Freshmen year is adjusting to being away from home and sophomore year you begin to focus more on ‘where am I going with this education?” Dr. Patti Ward said.

Dr. Ward is a radiology professor at Mesa State and she is also one of the instructors of the new January Term class, Sophomore Year Initiative.

Freshmen Year Initiative, FYI, is the first course Mesa offers to help students adjust to college life and SYI is the next step.

Dr. Ward alongside Ashlyn Reynolds-Dyk, an instructor from the education department, are team teaching the course.

Throughout the class Dr. Ward and Reylnolds-Dyk will be providing students with opportunities to reflect on what it is they want to achieve during their time at Mesa State. Students will be specifically focusing on discovering different types of career paths as well as making connections with faculty and people in the Grand Junction community.

“Sometimes people don’t reflect enough,” Dr. Ward said “If they reflect a little bit more about who they are it would be easier to connect with a career path.”

To help them be prepared for a more professional outlook on their education, students will learn resume-building skills and also be given opportunities to integrate into the community through a community service project.

“One of the big focuses is going to be on developing a career plan/academic plan,“ Dr. Ward said.

The class also emphasizes the importance of making connections with professors, so Dr. Ward and Reynolds-Dyk have found ways to promote that connection.

“There are going to be panel discussions involving department heads and faculty,” Dr. Ward said.

Students will then be able to identify people who they can talk to and also be able to ask questions in a low stress environment.

Dr. Ward said there will also be a follow up component to the course since everything they want to accomplish with the course cannot be done in a four day period.

One of the follow up opportunities includes shadowing working professionals, who will most likely be Mesa State Alumni.

Sophomores, students with 30-59 credit hours, will be able to register for the course online. It runs from Jan. 10-14.