Does GT1000 make the grade?

Freshmen are easy to spot on campus. Chances are, they are fumbling with fold-out maps, clueless on how to decorate their RAT caps, walking into the wrong classes or simply glancing around nervously and somewhat awkwardly due to the new environment.

Or maybe it is about pushing through a daunting crowd of upperclassmen on Skiles Walkway while being inundated with flyers and sign-up sheets, only to liberate a sigh of relief in reaching the boy at the end of the walkway with the cardboard "Free Hugs" sign.

With a representative from just about each of the hundreds upon hundreds of existing clubs and on-campus opportunities, in addition to the miles of chalky advertisements, how is a R.A.T. (Recently Acquired Tech) student to know what would be the best suited extracurricular activities to join and what classes and internships to take?

It is this whirlwind of experiences that make many incoming freshmen initially feel apprehensive about their first weeks at Tech-sensory overload.

Hence the need for the creation of "GT1000, Adjustment to College Life, the Freshman Seminar." GT1000 is, in short, "a one-hour credit graded course promoting the academic and co-curriculum leadership opportunities available to students in their first year and beyond," as stated on the GT1000 website.

The course, taught by academic and administrative faculty from various academic divisions who have acquired advanced degrees and have previous experience in assisting college students with their transition from high school to college, is driven to help students begin to identify major and career goals.

"I learned to balance my time and [to identify] what classes are good for me," said Chloe Stewart, a second-year STAC major and GT1000 Team Leader.

"[Perhaps] most importantly, [I learned] how to write a resume, a cover letter and the things that you need on a resume to market yourself to companies and the job world," Stewart said.

The classes have about 25 to 30 students who work in small groups directed by upperclassmen team leaders who voluntarily aid in supporting the newest students of Georgia Tech with their transition, both academically and socially, into the college lifestyle.

There are 23 major and discipline specific sections of GT1000 this fall, representing five of the six colleges.

In addition, there are four sections offered by the College of Engineering for Undecided Engineering majors, and seats in various College of Science sections for Undecided Science majors.

"My TL for GT1000 is a HTS [History, Technology and Society] major, so I have been able to speak to her and learn a lot about the major and the job opportunities available...I have rethought my possible major and have seriously considered HTS," said Christy Gyger, a first-year Undecided Ivan Allen major.

The course was originally created in 1986 by Dr. Lewis "Bill" Osher, who was at the time a counselor in Tech's Counseling Center. He began the program as a proactive initiative to help students succeed at Tech.

Although the course content has been refined over the last 21 years, the purpose and goals of the course have remained essentially the same. The course began as a single section, PSYC 4803 (special topics), which after the first quarter, became an official class, PSYC 1010. When Microsoft, e-mail and the Internet gained prominence, learning how to use technology effectively was a primary objective of PSYC 1010.

In 1992, the Office of Success Programs was created in order to house the course and other success-related projects. In the fall of 1999, PSYC 1010 became the semester course PSYC 1000. In 2003, upon recommendation of a review committee headed by the Director of Success Programs, John Stein, the current Dean of Students, the course departed the School of Psychology and became a general GT1000 course.

Some freshmen feel that they already know what classes to take and which academic and social activities in which to participate. Then what auxiliary purposes would GT1000 serve?

In actuality, GT1000 has proven to have a positive effect on the grade point average of first term freshmen as well as the retention rate. Students who take GT1000 during their first semester at Georgia Tech have a higher grade point average and are more likely to continue to graduation than students who do not.

"We believe the familiarization with campus resources, the focus on goal setting and career development and the attention paid to time management and learning strategies are the reasons the class has those results," said Amy Stalzer, Assistant Director of Success Programs.

Stalzer, as a coordinator for GT1000, is responsible for recruiting, training, supporting and advising the instructors and, along with the Team Leader Advisory Board, the team leaders themselves. She also works on curriculum development and assessment for the course and oversees administrative tasks such as registration.

As a GT1000 academic coach, Stalzer acknowledges that it is her concern to reach out to students.

"[We] help students on an individual basis to identify academic challenges they are having and help them develop plans for success. For example, a student might be having a hard time keeping up with class work because he doesn't manage his time well. We will together identify the challenges to his time management and set a schedule that works, and keep modifying until the student is successful," Stalzer said.

Stalzer encourages students to get involved in what is of interest to them, mainly taking advantage of the programs and speakers offered around campus.